Ye Chang Meng Duo
by Shinji Shazaki
Summary: Years after the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai, Toph Bei Fong makes her way to the city of Taonan to reunite with someone important, no matter what she finds waiting for her.  A collaborative piece headed by the artist Mag.  Please enjoy.  Katoph, complete.
1. Chapter 1

Ye Chang Meng Duo: Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Nickelodeon (and all others) own "Avatar: The Last Airbender." I own whatever I write/create. Don't steal and don't sue.

A/N: This is a collaborative work between myself, and the artist Mag (fortheloveofpizza. Please make sure to visit Mag's deviantArt page for artwork that is, not so much inspired by this story, as the story is inspired by Mag's exceptional imagination. The title is Chinese for, "The longer the night lasts, the more our dreams will be."

The guards standing at the gates of the city of Taonan knew that their job was hardly an important one. In the past, travelers would have been required to show proper forms of identification, state their purpose for coming or going, and give strong proof that they were neither Fire Nation citizens nor carrying weapons from said nation. Even Taonan, small compared to Omashu and a speck when held up against Ba Sing Se, had held to the strictest enforcement of policy when the war was in its waning days.

Now, a simple identification or statement of purpose would assuage the guards' needs. They let all but the most peculiar-looking to pass through the gates to the city, typically allowing even the strange ones entrance after a slightly more thorough questioning. As time went on, and the guards grew all the more familiar with the people who made their homes in Taonan, the guards would often give those who they recognized simple waves, smiles, and permitted them to come and go from the city as they pleased.

One day, with the blue sky dotted with wisps of white cloud, the young man standing to the right of the open gate caught sight of something on the horizon. As the shape came closer and grew more distinct, he smiled and relaxed. His companion, a woman a few years younger than him, continued to squint confusedly at the hazy shape.

"Don't worry," the man called to her. "It's just Momo coming back from wherever he was."

"I can see the lemur," the woman replied, continuing to squint. "It's the person that's actually on the ground that bothers me." The man raised a brow and turned. The shape he had seen at first was the familiar sight of a flying lemur turning loops in the air. Any person who had lived in Taonan could recognize the lemur and, other than protecting whatever food was nearby, paid him little mind.

The person that was walking on the path to the city, however, was one that neither guard had seen before. Drawing closer to the gates, the tall, feminine form became obvious, and the guards found themselves tensing. The woman's clothes were simply made and colored the deep greens and pale and bright gold found all throughout the Earth Kingdom, the sleeveless top formfitting and the loose pants leaving her bare feet uncovered. Her dark hair was messily done, captured in a loose bun that let strands fall in her face. Her stride was long and swift, and she walked in an unerringly straight line that brought her before the guards in mere minutes.

"So, are you two the guards?" The question was directed to the air, as the woman did not look at either of the duo. They gave each other glances from the corners of their eyes. At the silence, the woman shifted her feet, adjusting the rucksack slung over her left shoulder and pointing into the air with her free hand. "Does the lemur count as a pass in?" Momo gave a rumbling squeal, turning a final loop in the air to land heavily on the woman's uncovered shoulder. He closed his massive eyes and turned his head proudly, puffing out his chest.

"Well, no," the female guard replied. "We still need some kind of identification." The woman sighed, her milky eyes rolling. She reached into the folds of the bright gold sash around her waist, retrieving a piece of paper that had become extremely crumpled in such a place.

"You know, this letter says that you'd recognize Momo and let me in without a problem," she said. The guards repeated their sidelong looks before stepping forward. The man took the letter and began to skim through it.

"Where does it say that?" he asked. The woman shrugged with one shoulder, her right still weighted down by Momo.

"I don't know. Somewhere toward the bottom, probably."

"Haven't you _read_ the letter?" the female guard asked. The tall woman turned toward the short guard, staring inches above her head.

"No, I haven't." She smiled too widely for good humor, waving a hand before her face and eyes. "Someone else did it for me." The blood in the guard's face drained before quickly returning in a deep blush that reached to her ears.

"I'm so sorry!" she gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. "I—I couldn't tell!" The man looked up from the letter, mouth opening to speak, and paused at the sight of the woman's back turned to him. Momo stared down at the man from his perch, squeaking and tilting his head. Sitting on the woman's shoulder, his weight pulled the shirt aside just enough for the guard to notice the gold ink of a tattoo.

"Is that a boar?" he asked. The gold ink spread smoothly from the woman's shoulder blade to her upper arm, the curve of a wing and the profile of the boar easily seen beyond the boundaries of the cloth. She picked Momo up by the scruff of his neck, ignoring the indignant shriek he gave when she dropped him.

"A flying one." She busied herself with brushing away the traces of fur left on her clothes, even as the man's mouth dropped open.

"Wait a minute!" he said, looking from the tattoo to the letter and back again. "That's the flying boar of the Bei Fong family!"

"Keep going," the woman said. "I think you're about to figure it all out." The man looked back at the letter once more, scanning the crumpled page quickly. His eyes widened, his mouth still hanging open, and he pointed at the woman with a shaking hand.

"You're the Blind Bandit?" he asked. "Toph Bei Fong?"

"And he wins the prize." She clapped her hands free of the fur from her clothes before crossing her arms over her chest. "Now can I go into the city? I'm meeting someone important."

"Of course!" the female guard said. "We're so sorry to have delayed you!" Toph turned, heels scraping against the ground, to face the open gates. When she stopped, she reached out and took the letter from the man's hand, tucking it back into her belt.

"Come on, Momo," she said. The lemur trilled and jumped into the air, flapping his wings to fly forward as Toph began to walk through the gates.

"Would—would you like a guide?" the male guard asked quickly.

"I'm good," Toph replied, lifting her right hand over her shoulder as she continued to walk. "I got here from Dazu on my own all right." The guards could only turn to stare at each other as she strode out of sight, vanishing when she turned a corner.

"But Dazu is past the mountains—toward Ba Sing Se," the man said quietly. "It's a ten day walk from there." The woman shrugged helplessly, returning to her place to the left of the gates with crimson still coloring her cheeks. The man stared into the city a moment longer before shuffling to the right of the gates, blinking at the ground.

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Momo glanced over his shoulder from time to time, squealing whenever Toph turned a corner abruptly and doubling back to find her once again. Eventually, with his ears flattened and his eyes narrowed, he landed heavily on her right shoulder, giving a long, low rumble in her ear.

"It's not like I can follow you," she said simply. "I don't know where you are in the air." Momo continued to chatter irritably until Toph stopped quickly to dodge a passing cart. He pitched forward with a shriek, falling to the ground. From the vibration that passed up her legs, Toph winced at the facedown position Momo had landed in. She crouched down, picking the lemur up before he was trampled by a group of children running after the cart. Momo shook his fisted paw after them, squeaking and howling while he rubbed at his face.

"Now I know why you liked being on Appa so much." The statement was answered with a whine as Momo transferred both paws to his nose. Toph resisted the urge to grin and moved quickly to the side of the road to avoid the crowds of people that continued to move about them. "Listen, why don't I find somewhere that isn't so busy and wait there while you go get Katara and Aang?" The lemur sniffed, scrunching his face and finding that the sting had finally faded. He rubbed away the dirt that had gathered on the wet tip of his nose and made a trill that Toph recognized, even after seven years of being away from the animal, as an affirmative.

"Come on, then," she said. Momo scurried up onto her shoulder as she began to walk down the road, gripping her shirt tightly with his front and back paws. He watched her walk, sidestepping men and women that strode in the opposite direction and stopping occasionally to let people pass in front of her. She stared straight forward all the while, only turning her head when she paused.

Momo soon found his ears twitching and rising in time with Toph's pauses, his hearing piqued as much as hers. Over the clamor of people, animals, and carts, he could hear the sound of a flute. As the sound grew louder, he began to shift anxiously on Toph's shoulder, standing up and looking about. Toph turned another corner and paused, blinking slowly as Momo chattered and all but danced on her shoulder.

The so-called center of Taonan was a massive, paved circle that opened to the sea on the city's western border. While the main port was close by, only four piers extended from the edges of the circle into the water to avoid overcrowding in the popular location. Toph could feel dozens upon dozens of conflicting vibrations through the stone under her feet, grinning lopsidedly at the distinctly clear view that came to her. Adults strode from storefront to storefront, speaking with each other or the various shopkeepers that came to assist them. Children either walked alongside their parents or ran about the circle shrieking and laughing.

The center of the circle, however, was where Toph turned her focus. She strode forward, following the sound of the flute that continued to play. A crowd of men, women, and children had gathered, clapping their hands and tapping their feet on the ground in time with the music's beat. The flutist sat on the ground, playing for the woman that danced to the music. The woman was of average height, her build the lithe, slim shape that Toph expected of a dancer. From the faint fluttering of cloth and flashes of vibration when the woman's feet struck the ground sharply, Toph could see her loose pants, though the form-fitting shirt was far more difficult to discern. The occasional whistle from the men in the crowd made Toph all the more anxious for the woman to stand solidly on the ground for more than a moment.

Momo bounced on Toph's shoulder, patting rapidly at the side of her head and rumbling in her ear. When she did not immediately respond, he gripped the edges of her ear and squealed loudly. Toph grabbed the lemur and pulled him from her shoulder, holding him by the scruff and letting him dangle before her face.

"Okay, I get it," she said, rolling her shoulder against her ringing ear. "You know where I am now. Go get them already. I'll stay here." When he chattered in the affirmative, Toph let go of him, feeling the rush of air as he flapped his wings and hurried away.

The woman, breath coming in deep rushes, had stopped dancing by the time Toph sharpened her focus. The crowd began to clap, and the clinks of metal echoed with the vibrations coins made as they fell into an open sack sitting near the flutist. The dancer continued to shift back and forth on her feet, laughing while she caught her breath.

"Thank you!" she said brightly as the coins continued to fall. The flutist stood up slowly, and Toph watched through the earth. The flutist was another woman, taller than the dancer though with the same slender build. Her clothes were not as form-fitting, from what little Toph could glean from the woman's faint movements. The simple boots, pants, and loose, long-sleeved shirt were like most all other clothes Toph had known, and so she thought nothing of them. Some in the crowd began to wander away, even as the dancer crouched down and reached for a lute that lay near the sack filled with coins.

Toph lingered, smiling as the two women began to play a duet. It was a cheerful tune, well-suited for the day where Toph could feel the sun on her skin. At first, the tapping of her foot was in time with the music she heard. As the minutes passed, her foot fell out of time with the beat, her arms crossing and her fingers drumming on her elbows. She allowed her focus to cycle around every so often, wondering if she would recognize the footfalls of her friends after seven years. A small part of her scoffed and wondered if Katara would have to fight her way through an Avatar-driven entourage reminiscent of the ones she had told Toph about.

As the song the two women played came to a close, Toph swung her rucksack from her shoulder, opening it and taking hold of the small, rough bag that sat atop the clothes stuffed into the sack. The coins within the bag were varied in size, and Toph smiled when she counted out four of the smallest coins. With an expert hand, she tossed the four gold pieces into the sack on the ground, rearranging her things and lifting the rucksack back onto her shoulder.

Had she been able to see them, Toph would have ignored the raised eyebrows that were turned toward her at the tossing of the coins. The bag in her rucksack was filled with the spoils of earthbending tournaments, and she had no reason to fear bandits taking the gold that she carried with her. It had become a game to devise new ways to stop the thieves when they came for the prize money, and Toph prided herself on each new encasement of stone she made. In reality, relinquishing a few gold pieces was erring on the side of caution.

The women began to play a new song, one that was similarly cheerful, but slower in its beat and deeper in its notes. Toph allowed her focus to move around the stone circle, sighing when no familiar echoes reverberated. She rubbed at her hands, pushing at the dirt that had settled in the creases and calluses. When the four compatriots had gone their separate ways before, Toph had asked to touch the faces of each member of the hodgepodge family. She had no qualms about slapping her dirty hands on Sokka's cheeks before roughly taking a measure of his features. Aang had received little better treatment, though most of the excess dirt had been transferred to Sokka's face before Toph vigorously rubbed the young monk's bald head.

Katara, however, had been another matter. With all the speed she could muster, Toph had scraped the remaining dirt from her hands before touching Katara's face. Just as she had thought, the older girl's skin was soft enough to warrant the effort, and her hands had lingered. She had only let her hands move away when she felt the underlying burn in Katara's cheeks despite her faint smile. Though Aang would be present and could take the brunt of the dirt, Toph was not willing to touch such fair skin with unnecessarily rough hands.

She sighed, brushing the remains of the dirt from her fingertips before hitching the rucksack higher on her shoulder. Her heel dug into the ground as her fingers continued to drum on her elbows. She let her head fall forward, locks of her hair falling before eyes that, while unseeing, showed all her anxiety. The music continued to play, and though Toph ignored most of the idle buzz of the city, she could not help but hear the unmistakable trill of a flying lemur.

"Sifu Toph!" The voice was deeper than she remembered, the faint lisp that had been fading with the transition from childhood completely gone. The footfalls were still absurdly light, even as Aang ran at full speed from one of the streets branching off from the stone circle. The vibrations from his feet faded quickly, one set barely reaching her before the next set from his long-legged dash became apparent. As he drew closer, the afterimage of the person that accompanied him grew all the dimmer, and Toph had no time to focus on that image before Aang had all but tackled her with his hug.

"I can't believe it's been so long since we've seen each other!" he laughed, squeezing her around the shoulders. "It's great to see you!" Before he could react, the stone had fallen away beneath his feet, and Toph had wrapped an arm around his neck.

"I wish I could say the same, Twinkle Toes!" she replied. She ground her knuckles against his bare head, grinning lopsidedly as Aang laughed and struggled against her hold. After a moment, she stomped her foot and brought the stone level with the rest of the ground, putting her hands on Aang's face. "Stop grinning for a second so I can actually see you, air boy."

With his eyes and mouth closed, Toph let her hands roam on the Avatar's face. His jaw had strengthened considerably, and the little baby fat that had been on his cheeks completely gone. A smile continued to linger on his face, his brow smooth. She lifted her hands from his face and clapped them on his shoulders. They stood much as they had in their youth, Aang only having an inch or two of height advantage over Toph despite all their mutual growth. His shoulders had broadened, and he stood powerfully formed in clothes that hung loosely on him. Toph grinned and slapped his shoulders once more, hearing him laugh aloud.

"You've certainly grown up." Toph's head lifted and turned, the ear she turned toward the voice wishing that it would speak again. The tone was only a shade deeper than what she remembered, and the footfalls were still even in stride and weight. With her concentration focused, she turned, letting her feet drag on the ground. The vibrations that returned to her showed her the slender woman that strode toward her, wearing clothes that fit her form and hearkened back, once again, to days gone by. Toph turned about completely, unsure of whether or not to smile. The footsteps stopped just before her, and she heard a faint chuckle.

"You're taller than I am," Katara remarked. "Now I get to have you staring over my head instead of at my chest."

"Hi, Katara," Toph said quietly.

"Hello, Toph," Katara replied. For a moment, they stood in silence, inches apart and Toph's hands twitching to reach out and see. Katara laughed and wrapped her arms around Toph in a gentle hug, and Toph blinked twice before putting her hands on Katara's back. "I'm happy you're here."

"So am I." She grinned after a moment, leaning back and lifting one hand. "May I?" Katara took both of Toph's hands and laid them on her cheeks, and Toph felt her smile. Her skin was still the softest Toph had ever touched, utterly smooth wherever her fingertips roamed. As her hands moved higher, she found Katara's hair loosened from the braid it had most always been bound in, and could not help but follow the natural wave all the way to the middle of Katara's back with one hand. Her other hand moved to brush fingertips over Katara's closed eyes and, before she could stop herself, touch her lips. The faint tremor that ran up and down the length of Katara's spine was enough for Toph to let her hands fall away.

"Still prettier than the girls we dumped off a bridge," she said, grinning as best she could. Katara laughed, and Toph's grin grew stronger.

"_You_ dumped them off the bridge," Katara replied. "I just sent them down the river." They laughed aloud, only stopping when Aang moved to stand beside them.

"Come on," he said. "We'll show you where you're staying."

"You plan to have me stay here for more than a few days?" Toph asked, brow rising though she continued to smile.

"We were hoping you could stay for a while," Katara replied. Toph listened as the other woman shifted on her heels, seeing the echo of her crossed arms and tight shoulders. "Until summer's end?"

"It's the middle of spring." The smile faded and the raised brow remained. "Your letter said you wanted to catch up, and unless you're planning on having us go through the whole end of the war again, I don't think we'll take as long as summer's end to chat." Aang's laugh did not match the way Katara continued to stand, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"Sorry," he said. "We wanted to surprise you."

"With what?" Toph started when Katara reached out and took one of her hands. She brought Toph's fingers to her throat and the choker that hung there. The image was identical to the necklace Katara had worn when Toph had last asked to touch it, until she let her thumb pass the carving on the stone that hung from the cloth. Instead of the signature waves and whorls of the Water Tribe that she remembered, she found the Air Nomads' inverted triangle of circular swirls imprinted in the smooth stone.

"Aang and I are getting married," Katara said quietly. Toph's thumb stopped in the center of the stone before she withdrew her hand. It took all of her focus not to shatter the stone and grind the shards into the ground under her heel. She grinned crookedly, much as she always had.

"Let me guess—you're waiting until the end of summer?" she asked.

"Right!" Aang said with a laugh. "We didn't want to wait until the summer to tell you, and we were hoping you could stay here for a while." Toph's head tilted forward slightly, hiding the tightness in her jaw behind her hair.

"I guess I can take a break from tournaments," she said. She lifted her head and smiled. "So, what hole in the ground did you find for me to stay in?" Aang laughed once more and slapped a hand against her shoulder.

"You'll love this!" he said. "Come on!" He started away with Toph following close behind. Though Aang could not see Katara after he passed by her, Toph let her focus turn toward the other woman. Walking in a swift, shuffling fashion, she sent waves through the earth and saw, in flashes timed to her footsteps, Katara lift her hands slowly. Though she could not see the detail of Katara's face, Toph knew that when her hands parted, one set of fingers touched the choker and the other touched her lips. Toph held her tongue and returned her focus to the ground before her, quickening her step and resisting the urge to reach back and offer Katara her hand. It would not have been a gesture of friendship, and so Toph kept her thoughts and her offer to herself.

—_to be continued—_


	2. Chapter 2

Ye Chang Meng Duo: Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Nickelodeon (and all others) own "Avatar: The Last Airbender." I own whatever I write/create. Don't steal and don't sue.

A/N: This is a collaborative work between myself, and the artist Mag (fortheloveofpizza. Please make sure to visit Mag's deviantArt page for artwork that is, not so much inspired by this story, as the story is inspired by Mag's exceptional imagination. The title is Chinese for, "The longer the night lasts, the more our dreams will be."

It was a memory that kept Katara's hands hovering over the letter addressed to Toph Bei Fong. The images that had replayed in her mind since late in the afternoon were, at first, unbidden. As the day passed slowly by and she began to write the letter, she could only sit with brush in hand, staring at the paper before her. The candle in the center of the table flickered with the soft spring breezes that came through the open windows of her home, and she blinked at the light that wavered just above her gaze.

Aang had asked her, that afternoon, if she had heard recently from Toph, or had received a visit. When she replied that no such contact had been had since Toph's leaving, Aang could only wonder why and Katara could not give an honest answer. The best explanation she could provide was news of the Blind Bandit winning earthbending tournaments all around the Earth Kingdom over the years. The scandal involved with the Bei Fong family's attempts to coerce their daughter home had faded away when it became obvious that Toph would not stay in any place long enough for letters to reach her. The news had lowered Aang's brow and set his gaze on the table. As Momo reached for another pastry, Aang lifted his head.

"Can you write her a letter inviting her here?" he asked. The grin that appeared on his face was one that always lifted most of the weight from Katara's shoulders. Nevertheless, she stared at him as he took a drink of his tea and reached for one of the remaining pastries. Momo squawked with a closed mouth, but his attention was soon lost again to the sweet breads before him.

"Aang, it—the letter probably won't get to her," Katara said. "I mean, we don't know where she is."

"I know," Aang replied. He took a large bite of the pastry and chewed thoughtfully. He swallowed before adding, "Don't you want her to visit?"

"It's not that," Katara protested, lifting her mug of tea from the table. She stared at the tea and found herself wishing the green of the liquid were paler. She closed her eyes and took a sip before putting the mug back on the table. "If we're inviting her for the wedding, should we invite her so early?"

"Everyone likes a break," Aang said with a simple smile, taking another bite. When he noticed her wide-eyed stare, he grinned, flashing his teeth. "I can get the letter to her. I just can't really write a good letter. Don't you think she'd like a letter from you best?" Katara looked at her hands, fisted lightly on the table near the mug of tea. She sighed and slowly rubbed at her left thumb.

"I suppose she would," she said quietly.

"Better than from Sokka, right?" She looked up to find Aang's eyebrows bouncing above bright eyes and a broad grin. She laughed, the weight on her shoulders gone.

"Right," she admitted. "I'll write her a letter."

"Great!" He rose from the floor, a gust of air lifting him easily to his feet. "When should I come back for it?"

"Tomorrow, I guess," Katara said. "Are you leaving already?"

"Appa's starting to shed again, and I should get _some_ of his fur rinsed off before he coats the whole city," Aang said, grinning once more. "And I need to find out where to send your letter." He offered his hand, helping Katara to her feet before wrapping his arms around her. She returned the embrace, letting her head rest on his shoulder with her arms around his waist.

"Thank you, Aang," she said. She heard his soft chuckle and felt him squeeze her shoulders gently, managing to smile before he lifted her chin with one hand.

"You're welcome," he replied. He kissed her gently and lingeringly, and her smile remained throughout. His grin was broad when he leaned back, and he hugged her tightly before striding to the door. Katara watched him leave, slowly sinking back down onto the floor. She knelt staring at the table until her legs throbbed and her muscles cramped. She rose unsteadily to her feet, wandering about her house in a vague attempt to find everything needed to write a letter. It took close to an hour to find paper, ink and its stone, and a brush. She addressed the letter, carefully sweeping the brush through the ink and across the paper. With Toph's name on the paper, Katara paused once more.

She sat staring at the dark black ink, eventually laying the brush aside. The memories began to play in her mind just before the sun set and turned the sky red. Katara twisted her fingers in her lap, trying to push back the images of Toph's crooked grin with Aang's wide smile. Her attempts to think of Aang's graceful airbending shifted first to his original efforts at earthbending, and then to Toph's mastery of the art. Soon, all her struggling ceased to work, and she abandoned the notion. She thought of the day she and Toph had spent together in Ba Sing Se, managing to chuckle at the rush of pleasure that still lingered from the spa and their escapades in bending. Inevitably, however, her mind led her back to one particular afternoon.

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With the war ended, the four proclaimed heroes returned to the mainland of the Earth Kingdom from the Fire Nation. Aang had directed Appa to the northeast and Madgoan, a coastal city between the western lands of the Air Nomads and the North Water Tribe. Amidst widespread celebration and the beginnings of the refugees' return home, the four that had done so much for the world rested and recuperated.

Toph and Katara sat alone on the coast that afternoon, perched on a rock formation that Toph had lifted from the water below. Sokka had declined their invitation in favor of attending a number of parties, dragging Aang along despite the boy's protests. Katara smiled as she sat cross-legged next to Toph, leisurely bending the water in a figure eight high above the waves. Toph sat with her arms tucked under her knees, gaze set forward.

"What are you going to do now?" the blind girl had asked when Katara let her arm and the water drop.

"Maybe just sit and watch the waves work by themselves for a while." She glanced to the side in time to see Toph frown.

"I meant now that the war's over," the girl said with a huff. Katara giggled, reaching over and flicking Toph's shoulder with one finger.

"I know," she said. She leaned back on her hands, arching her back and looking up at the sky. Before Toph could impatiently repeat her question, Katara said, "I'd like to open a school for waterbenders."

"Aren't they all at the north or south pole?" Toph asked. "Does that mean you're going back home?"

"Not really." Katara sat up straight, turning her attention to Toph though the other girl's eyes did not do the same. "Sokka and I are going to go home to make sure everything's all right. I don't know what Sokka's going to do after that, but I like it in the Earth Kingdom. I'd like to have a school somewhere there."

"You'd have an easier time opening an earthbending school and having me teach," Toph remarked. "I don't know how many waterbenders have been hiding out in a country of earthbenders."

"Are you saying you want to teach other people how to earthbend?" Toph snorted, sneering in her exaggerated way.

"After the whole Twinkle Toes thing?" she asked. "No way." She turned to Katara, her crooked grin replacing the sneer and sending a warm rush through Katara's chest. "I'm going to go and win every earthbending tournament I can find. People are going to remember me as Toph, the Blind Bandit. Not Toph, the little flower of the Bei Fong family." When she heard Katara's soft laughter, her head tilted to one side, grin vanishing. "What? Why are you laughing?"

"You're so confident," Katara replied. Toph opened her mouth to argue, but paused, head tilting once more.

"Was that a compliment?" she asked. Katara smiled, reaching out and brushing aside Toph's fallen bangs to look at her eyes.

"It was." She lifted her hand, fighting the urge to touch Toph's cheek. "I like that you're confident. I kind of wish I could go with you and cheer you on."

"I thought you didn't like watching big sweaty guys hurl rocks at each other," Toph said, brow rising slightly.

"You're not a big sweaty guy," Katara chuckled. "I like watching you." Toph blinked slowly, letting her chin rest on her chest.

"I like watching you, too," she said after a moment. "Even if I can't really see the water, you're really pretty when you waterbend." Katara felt her face burn and was unable to stop the smile that came to her. She tucked a nonexistent strand of hair behind her ear, pressing her cool fingers to one cheek.

"You think I'm pretty?" she asked, voice fluttering with a small giggle.

"Well, I don't really know about your face," Toph said, "but when you move, it's pretty." She smiled and shrugged, and Katara's smile grew all the more at the sight.

"Thank you, Toph," Katara murmured. For a moment, she did not know where to let her eyes rest. They darted from Toph's feet, forever caked with dirt, to her hands, small and powdered with dust. Her gaze moved to Toph's face, watching her pale eyes blink, before coming to a slow stop on the girl's lips. They were nothing special, neither deep red nor colorless. They were simply pink, matching the soft color that had appeared on Toph's cheeks, above the smile that had turned up the corners of those pink lips.

Katara kissed Toph without touching her, only pressing her lips lightly to Toph's. When her skin touched Toph's, Katara thought of deepening the kiss, and of putting her hands on Toph's shoulders. The chances were taken from her when Toph twitched away, turning her head and pursing her lips with a furrowed brow. Before Katara could speak, Toph's brow smoothed, though her smile did not return.

"What do I look like when I earthbend?" Toph asked. Katara's mouth fell open, and it took an effort that closed a vice in her chest to speak without sputtering.

"You look beautiful, Toph," she said, a weight coming to rest on her shoulders. She took a breath, looking away and closing her eyes against the sting that had begun to build in them. "You look beautiful."

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Katara sighed when she saw that the moon had risen. The ink on the stone was dry, and the letter bore only Toph's name. She reached up and touched her lips as she had done hundreds of times since the moment in her memory. Time continued to pass, the moonlight's arc through her window slowly changing. Eventually, Katara rose to her feet, walking from the rooms she called her home into the wide courtyard of her bending school. The courtyard opened to the sea, and she strode to the edge of the stone. Below her, waves broke against the craggy rocks, mist rising and catching the white light.

Under the moon and before the sea, Katara crossed her arms and stood without moving. She watched the waves and the reflection of the moon and stars in the unbroken water farther from shore. She closed her eyes and let her arms slowly fall to rest at her sides. As she drew in a breath, her feet spread apart to her comfortable, familiar stance. Another breath was taken while she lifted her hands.

There was no need to open her eyes to know that water rose from the sea with her hands. The moon, even half-full, let her all but taste the salt in the water and feel the calm, cool current around her hands. She brought her hands over her head and back down once more, releasing another breath in a long sigh. She slid her right foot back along the ground, lifting her open hands and letting them part from each other.

Katara turned at the waist, hands rising and lowering in opposition to one another. As she turned again, her hands came together, pushing outward. Distantly, past the sound of waves and water, she heard the faint sigh of a flute. She continued on with her forms, never opening her eyes. The weight on her shoulders began to lessen as she let her mind slowly empty.

Everything was given to the water. She gave it the memory of the afternoon with Toph and her habit of touching her lips and her chest growing tight every time. She let the water take the memory of Aang's marriage proposal and the new burn in her eyes that appeared when she touched the new necklace she wore. Katara gave all that made up the weight on her shoulders to the water, taking only the tranquil ebb and flow in return. She let her hands slowly drop, lowering the water back into the sea.

When she opened her eyes, her gaze fell on the moon's reflection once more. She bowed to the moon and sea, mist from the waves settling on her cheeks. With a lightened step, she returned inside and sat down at the table. She bent the water from her cheeks to the ink stone, picking up the brush she had abandoned. She smiled at Toph's name and began to write.

----------

Aang returned with Momo early the next morning. Once Katara had given Aang the letter, he instructed the lemur to fly as quickly as possible to Dazu, deliver the letter, and escort Toph back to Taonan. Momo trilled and nodded, adding the letter to a small parcel full of food on his back. After a parting snack, he leapt from the table and flew out the window, his squeaks fading in the distance.

"What makes you think that she's in Dazu?" Katara asked. Aang smiled and took a sip of his tea.

"She's not," he replied. At Katara's raised brow and frown, he added, "But she will be. Probably right when Momo gets there, too."

"How do you know that?" He gave up on attempting a sly smile and simply grinned broadly.

"The same way I knew you were here three years ago," he said. "I listened to the earth. Toph's heading straight for Dazu, and she and Momo should be both there in a few days." Katara could only stare, a small smile on her face, as Aang took another drink. His eyes widened abruptly, and he put the tea back on the table before bending a gust to lift him to his feet. He began to run toward the door, skidding to a halt halfway.

"You _have_ to see this!" he said with a laugh. "Come on!" Katara stood up, quickly following the young man out the door and into the courtyard. He ran to one of the open corners of the courtyard, bouncing on the balls of his feet anxiously as Katara hurried after him. He pointed around the wall as she drew closer, and she could not stop her jaw from going slack. The mountains lay to the northwest of Katara's home, paths of all kinds littering the foothills. A path Katara had never seen before led from the grass just beyond her home to a small stone house in a previously rocky area in the distance. She turned to Aang, eyes wide at his proud grin.

"I did it last night," he said. "It's nothing fancy, but since Toph is going to stay for a while, I thought it would be a good idea. It should be far enough away for Toph to earthbend without the noise bugging anyone, I think." Katara sighed and smiled, wrapping her arms around Aang's neck.

"Thank you, Aang," she murmured in his ear. He smiled and returned the embrace, content to hold her.

----------

Momo's return was a day shy of two weeks, and he landed on the table after flying in through the window. He looked around the table, stealing a drink from Aang's tea and snatching an apple from the basket between Aang and Katara. They had jumped in surprise when the lemur swooped in trilling and squeaking, staring at him when he began to munch on the fruit.

"Hey, Momo!" Aang said. "Is Toph with you?" Momo shook his head and took another large bite, cheeks filled with apple. "Well, where is she?" He trilled and pointed out the window, returning his paw to the apple to quickly finish eating. When he had swallowed the fruit, he leapt from the table onto Aang's shoulder, patting his bald head and rumbling importantly in his ear. Aang stood up, turning to Katara with a wide, excited smile on his face. She stared, eyes moving back and forth between man and lemur, neither smiling nor frowning.

"She's here!" Aang said with a laugh. "Katara, come on!" He turned on heel, rushing toward the door. He was across the threshold before he stopped and turned about, looking back at the woman still kneeling on the floor. She gave him a quick smile, and his grin returned when she stood and followed him out the door. He continued to rush forward, directed by occasional waves of Momo's paws, stopping every so often and looking back to Katara. She followed more slowly, her feet dragging and her eyes wide.

Breathing and walking took an effort far greater than that of her first attempts at waterbending. With every corner that was turned, the thought that she would see Toph made her chest grow tight. Every corner that was turned without Toph's appearance made the tightness fade, but an ache settled in its absence. Aang ran on ahead, turning one last corner to face the center of the city. Katara saw his smile grow wider and brighter, his shoulders rising as he sucked in a breath. Momo trilled loudly.

"Sifu Toph!" He dashed forward when Katara stopped beside him, arms open and held high. Katara did not move, unable to look at the figure that turned at the shout. Her eyes fell first on the two women standing just a few feet away from where Aang had stopped. They stood shoulder to shoulder, playing with smiles on their faces. A small part of her wished to simply listen to them as she often did, or to invite them to tea as she had done five or six times in the past. When she heard Aang's laugh, however, her gaze shifted, and her feet began to carry her forward.

"You've certainly grown up." Toph's head turned, and Katara resisted the urge to stop and take in every inch of the young woman. There was a clean, defined curve of muscle in her arms and shoulders that had been hidden by her frumpy children's clothes. Her face was leaner, and she stood tall with her head held high. She turned about, gaze set forward, and Katara could see the faint widening of her eyes. As she stopped just before Toph, she smiled and chuckled, her forehead just level with Toph's nose.

"You're taller than I am," she said. "Now I get to have you staring over my head instead of at my chest." She tilted her head up, watching the way Toph continued to stare unblinkingly forward, mouth slightly open.

"Hi, Katara." Her voice was soft but even, and had deepened just enough to make Katara draw in a breath and her eyes grow wide.

"Hello, Toph," she said. The silence that fell between them lasted only a moment before Katara laughed and hugged Toph gently. She let her chin rest on Toph's shoulder, marveling at the rush of warmth that followed the touch of Toph's hands on her back. "I'm happy you're here."

"So am I," Toph said in return. The lopsided grin that had appeared on her face when she leaned away and held up a hand made Katara smile all the more. "May I?" Katara guided Toph's hands to her face, still smiling at the rough calluses. She remained still as Toph looked at her, keeping her eyes closed despite the urge to look at Toph's face. Fingertips trailed gently over her eyes, and still more touched her lips. She shivered, eyes opening the moment Toph's fingers rose away. Toph's eyes had softened, her jaw slack and mouth open for the instant before she grinned once more.

"Still prettier than the girls we dumped off a bridge," she said. Katara could only stare for a moment before laughing.

"_You_ dumped them off the bridge," she insisted. "I only sent them down the river." Toph laughed, and Katara's laugh bubbled up both from the memory and the bright sound that she had missed for years. No matter how lightened she felt, her laughter died as Aang moved to stand beside her.

"Come on," he said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder unnecessarily. "We'll show you where you're staying."

"You plan to have me stay here for more than a few days?" Toph asked, the arch of her brow as bizarrely elegant as Katara remembered. The vice in her chest began to close, and she shifted her weight back and forth. She did not look at Toph's face.

"We were hoping you could stay for a while," she said. Her arms crossed over her chest, painfully familiar weight settling on her shoulders. "Until summer's end?'

"It's the middle of spring," Toph said, her voice confused. Katara let her eyes flick up, returning her gaze to the ground when she saw that there was no smile aimed toward her. "Your letter said you wanted to catch up, and unless you're planning on having us go through the whole end of the war again, I don't think we'll take as long as summer's end to chat." Aang laughed, and Katara closed her eyes when they began to burn.

"Sorry," the young man said. "We wanted to surprise you."

"With what?" The faint, irritated tone of Toph's voice was what made Katara's hand reach out and guide Toph's fingers to the choker around her neck. She watched Toph examine the pendant, her face growing confused and her brow furrowing behind her bangs.

"Aang and I are getting married." The statement, little more than a whisper, was met with Toph's release of the necklace. The grin that appeared on her face was crooked, but did not quite clear Toph's brow.

"Let me guess—you're waiting until the end of summer?" Her voice was even, without the height of happiness or the deepness of anger. Katara was utterly silent as Aang laughed.

"Right!" he said. " We didn't want to wait until the summer to tell you, and we were hoping you could stay here for a while." Though Toph hid her face from Aang, Katara could see the way her jaw briefly hardened, and she bit her lip at the sight.

"I guess I can take a break from tournaments," Toph said. She lifted her head and smiled, Aang grinning without looking at Katara's lowered eyes. "So, what hole in the ground did you find for me to stay in?" He laughed and slapped Toph's shoulder, already beginning to turn away.

"You'll love this!" he said. "Come on!" Katara watched as he and Toph began to walk away, unable to follow. She reached up, letting the fingers of one hand touch the pendant of her choker and the others touch her lips. As she pressed her hand over her mouth, not knowing what she was holding back, she gripped the pendant fiercely. She did not know if she wanted to fling it to the ground or not, and so she did nothing but follow after Aang and Toph.

—_to be continued—_


	3. Chapter 3

Ye Chang Meng Duo: Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Nickelodeon (and all others) own "Avatar: The Last Airbender." I own whatever I write/create. Don't steal and don't sue.

A/N: This is a collaborative work between myself, and the artist Mag (fortheloveofpizza. Please make sure to visit Mag's deviantArt page for artwork that is, not so much inspired by this story, as the story is inspired by Mag's exceptional imagination. The title is Chinese for, "The longer the night lasts, the more our dreams will be."

"How do you like it?" Toph dragged her fingers along the nearest wall, letting her toes curl against the ground. Windows had been placed in each of the four walls, the faint echoes that returned to her speaking of wood and paper coverings. The single table that sat in a corner was all the furniture within the small, single room house. She strode to the table and dropped her bag on it, crossing her arms and turning back to face Aang and Katara.

"It's nice," she said with a smile. Aang's grin, already wide, grew broader.

"Great!" he replied. "If there's anything you really need, you can just go back down to Katara's house!"

"What, you don't live there already, Twinkle Toes?" Toph asked, raising an eyebrow. "Too shy for that?" Aang felt his face burn and coughed into his fist, eyes unable to rise from the floor.

"I _am_ a monk," he said quietly. Toph sighed, eyes rolling as she strode to the man standing in the open doorway. She flicked his forehead, fingertip striking the center of the blue arrow, and smirked at the muttered, "Ow!" that followed.

"Come on, Aang," she said. "Even Katara knows when I'm teasing." She let her feet shift, holding back the frown that threatened to appear at Katara's stance, arms still crossed and shoulders still tight. "Right, Katara?" Katara looked up both to Aang's watery eyed, pouting expression and Toph's faint smile. She laughed gently at Aang's quavering lip, quiet with Toph's focus on her.

"She's just teasing," she said, reaching out and laying her hand on Aang's cheek. He brightened immediately, letting his arms rise and wrap around Katara. With her chin propped on Aang's shoulder, Katara's eyes went to Toph. The other woman had turned her face away, eyes aimed at the wall, and her once curved lips straightened to a line. Aang suddenly lifted one arm from its place around Katara, laying it over Toph's shoulders and pulling her close.

"It's great having you here, Toph," he said, his grin carrying into his voice. He stepped away, letting his embrace shift to a simple hand on both women's shoulders. He continued to grin brightly, but the sight was not enough to loosen Katara's shoulders. "Okay—you two go out on the town and have fun!"

"What?" Aang blinked at the chorused question, head tilting to one side.

"You two go have some fun together," he said. "You know, catch up!"

"You're not going with us?" Katara asked.

"You've lived here longer than me," Aang replied. "You know Taonan better than I do. And I'm better at catching up over meals." He trailed his hand up from Katara's shoulder to cup her chin, smiling at her. "Besides, you can go do all the girly things you like to do and not have me slow you down."

"Then where are you going to be?" Toph asked, crossing her arms.

"Getting ready for our dinner tonight," he said with a shrug. Toph raised a brow, blinking slowly. She turned toward Katara, grinning crookedly.

"Is it going to be safe for our stomachs?" she asked. Katara let herself laugh, but held back the urge to lean against Toph's shoulder.

"It'll be fine," she said. She smiled, looking at the ground for a moment before letting her gaze turn to Aang. "Are you sure you want us to go by ourselves? You don't want to come with us?" Aang waved his hand dismissively, still smiling.

"No," he chuckled. "You two can do whatever you want. You could go to a spa like you did in Ba Sing Se." He shrugged, rubbing at the back of his head. "It'll make for more to talk about tonight." He smiled beseechingly at Katara, taking her hands in his. "It's fine, Katara. You two are best friends. I'd feel bad if you didn't have a chance to catch up without me bothering you." Katara smiled and squeezed his hands in return, lifting his fingers to her lips and kissing his knuckles as she had done dozens of times before.

"Thank you, Aang," she murmured. He nodded, tipping his head forward for a light, quick kiss to her lips. As he started to step away, he did not notice the way Katara had stiffened from the kiss, her eyes wide.

"I'll see you both tonight!" he said cheerfully. "Katara's house at sundown!"

"We'll be there, Twinkle Toes," Toph said, holding up one thumb. He grinned and strode away, vanishing from sight and moving past Toph's senses quickly. Katara stood still, one hand slowly rising to touch her lips. She sighed quietly, barely aware of Toph until the blind woman spoke again and said, "I forgot how much I liked him." Katara started, turning in time to see Toph nodding, grinning slightly. She bit her lip, looking away from the tall woman standing near her.

"Toph," she said, voice wavering. She could not find any more words to speak, and sighed and clasped her hands to her chest. She curled her fingers into fists when she realized that they were wandering toward the choker around her neck.

"We don't actually have to go to a spa," Toph said. "Let's just—go get something to eat." She smiled, patting her stomach with one hand. "I'm pretty hungry." Katara sighed, but smiled.

"I know the perfect place," she said. Toph nodded, turning toward the table in the corner.

"Good." She dragged her foot with a swift jerk of her leg, and Katara watched the stone shift beneath the table's legs to bring it close. Toph reached down, untying the rucksack and removing the smaller bag from within. "But even if I'm the guest here, I'm paying for us." She closed the rucksack and kicked her heel against the ground, sending the table back into the corner. As she tied the bag to her belt, she smiled, and Katara could not help but do the same. They stood for a moment, both wanting to offer the other their arm. When the moment passed, Toph gestured to the door, and they left the small house side by side.

----------

The teahouse sat just beyond the center of Taonan, far from the port and the sailors looking for little more than hard drink and hot food. Designed around the coast it had been built upon, the building was full of windows and sliding doors that opened to verandas turned to the ocean and the gently sloping hill that led from the teahouse to the water. Though it was not wanting of business, it remained a quiet place, conversations able to take place without a struggle to hear or be heard.

Katara, smiling at the memory of all the excellent tea and food the teahouse served, paused when she saw Toph's head rise suddenly. Before she could ask any questions, she heard the faint sound of a lute's strings being plucked and strummed. Her smile returned, and she cupped one hand around Toph's elbow.

"I don't suppose you'd want to meet them?" she asked.

"Who? The two women who were playing music before?"

"Why not?" Katara said. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind having tea with us." Toph sighed and smiled, nodding slightly. Katara's smile broadened, and she tightened her grip on Toph's elbow, quickening her pace around the next corner. Toph followed her lead into the teahouse, grateful that the building, while having wood floors, was built directly on a stone foundation. Her sight was diminished, but only just. She watched as Katara released her arm and walked to the two women sitting close to the doors opening to the veranda, following a few paces behind.

"Hello, Katara!" The woman who played the lute was the first to speak, looking up from where she sat cross-legged on a cushion.

"Miss waterbender." The other woman sat leaning against the doorframe, one leg bent at the knee and the other lying stretched out. Toph would have raised a brow were it not for the half chuckle in the woman's voice. "Are you and your generous friend looking to join us?"

"Would you mind our company?" Katara's question was dismissed with a waved hand from the woman sitting on the cushion.

"It's always a pleasure having you," she said. "Besides, the least we can do to thank your friend is to be nice." Katara looked at Toph with a raised brow as they sat down, Katara on a cushion and Toph on the bare floor.

"What did you do before Aang and I met you?" she asked.

"I just paid them," Toph said, shrugging.

"Enough for us to actually pay for our food here instead of playing for the customers," the woman against the doorframe murmured. "So—thanks." She lifted her arm from its resting place atop her knee and took a drink from her mug of tea. Katara smiled at Toph, biting back a giggle at the faint furrow in the woman's brow.

"I'm Hova," the woman next to Katara said, smiling brightly. "This is Kailas." The other woman lifted her free hand, the faint smile that Katara had always seen on her face growing wider. Hova leaned forward, bowing where she sat. "Thank you very much." Toph's brow remained slightly clouded, but she smiled in return.

For a moment, as Toph tried to accept the gratitude and make Hova's thanks cease, Katara wished she could, at the very least, tell Toph why the woman continued to bow and thank her for the money. Toph could not see the patches in Hova's faded green pants, or the loose threads in the sleeves of her too small pale yellow shirt. Even if she saw with her hands, she would not know that Kailas' boots, once black, were nearly brown with age and caked dirt, or that her dark crimson shirt, once lined with golden trim, was as dotted with multi-colored patches as Hova's clothes.

Katara bit her lip as she looked at the two women, noticing for the first time in months the state of their clothes. She had only seen Hova's cheery smile and the way it always reached her dark green eyes, her long, light brown hair held back in a braid that could have rivaled Katara's years ago. Though she could barely see Kailas' eyes, always half-closed, darkened by the vividly purple marks of little sleep, and often hidden behind crudely-cut locks of short, dark brown hair, Katara knew the faint smile that was constantly present was not for show. She leaned forward, putting her hands on Hova and Toph's knees and smiling at them all in turn.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I haven't introduced you to each other. Hova, Kailas—this is Toph Bei Fong."

"The blind earthbender who helped you and the Avatar save the world once?" Kailas asked. "Interesting." Hova caught sight of Toph's brow rising slowly and the frown that pulled at her lips, reaching over to rap her knuckles against Kailas' temple.

"Just ignore her," she said with a sigh. Toph did not need to see the smile on her face, hearing the warmth that had swelled in her voice "She's just…bratty, sometimes."

"I'm your brat, though." Katara smiled at the wry grin that Kalias adopted for a moment, and Toph at the brightness of Hova's laughter. When a woman, dressed in the pastel greens robes and black apron worn by the teahouse's servers, passed nearby, Hova waved her closer. Katara and Toph's orders were taken with a bright smile and many quick nods, and the woman departed without a second glance. For a moment, none spoke, no gaze meeting another.

"Here for the Avatar's wedding?" Kailas asked, taking another drink of her tea.

"And to see Katara—and Aang," Toph replied. "I haven't seen them for seven years."

"What have you been doing?" Hova asked, laying aside her lute.

"Being the Blind Bandit and winning earthbending tournaments," Toph replied with a shrug.

"Really?" Hova asked, eyebrows rising and a smile appearing on her face. "Oh, wow! I've always wanted to go to a tournament, but nothing's ever come to Taonan. We're too small, I guess." Toph, watching as the woman's feet slipped from the cushion onto the floor, saw Hova draw her knees up and wrap her arms around them. She could almost feel the broad smile beneath her fingertips, and smiled in return.

"You've got big enough mountains," she said. "I don't see why a bunch of earthbenders couldn't just come in and set up an arena."

"Because that would take away any kind of appeal for waterbenders to come and study here," Katara chuckled, nudging Toph's shoulder with her fist.

"You could keep your fancy-pants school, Sugar Queen," Toph replied, grinning. "It doesn't mean we all have to suffer." Katara sat back, spine stiffening at the nickname. She remained silent as Hova and Toph started discussing the possibility of tournaments finding their way into the city, eyes set on the blind woman next to her.

Her hand rose slowly to her necklace as she thought of how many years had passed from when Toph had last called her by a nickname. She let her thumb rub against the pendant, ignoring the spiral markings as she focused on Toph. She listened only to hear Toph's voice, barely registering more than snippets as the woman spoke of tournaments and earthbenders she had defeated. Her grip tightened on the pendant with each laugh and chuckle that she heard and every smile that curved Toph's lips.

In her haste to lift her gaze from Toph's face, Katara glanced about, eyes darting to the sea beyond the open doors. As she turned, meaning to lay her eyes on the ink paintings and scrolls hanging on the wall beside Kailas, she froze. Kalias' gaze was fixed, not upon Hova as it usually was, but on Katara. The woman stared at her from behind the fringe of her hair and half-closed eyelids, occasionally sipping her tea with a mouth that continued to smile. When Kailas' eyes moved briefly to Toph, Katara became aware of the sting in her cheeks, brought about by the smile she did not realized she had been wearing. Before the weight of Kailas' eyes and smile returned, Katara put her hand in her lap, looking steadfastly at the floor before her knees.

When the serving woman returned, tray laden with two mugs of tea and a plate of breads and meats, Katara looked up only to the smiling woman to receive the items. She set her mug aside for a moment to hand Toph her food and drink, all the while being careful not to let her hands brush against Toph's. As Toph carried on with her conversation, Katara kept her eyes on the mug of tea she held in her hands. Still listening with half an ear, she smiled, very slightly, when she noticed that Toph still had sense enough not to speak when her mouth was filled with food.

----------

The sun was low when the four women departed from the teahouse, orange and red reflecting in the sea. Hova and Kailas went on their way, thanking Katara and Toph for their company and explaining their swift separation by the need to return home to their raccoon-dog that slept away the day and grew needy when the sun began to set. Katara and Toph watched them turn a corner and disappear from sight before starting off, side by side.

"They're fun," Toph said after a moment.

"They are," Katara replied, nodding. "I'm glad they got a good meal today." For another few minutes, they walked on in silence, Toph laying her hand lightly on the bag on her hip to quiet the clinking of coins.

"So am I," she said. Katara smiled, reaching up and tucking back some of Toph's loose hair. She let her hand linger, surprised as she always was at the sheer amount of Toph's hair, a moment too long. Toph turned her head, Katara's fingers trailing and following the curve of Toph's jaw. Their steps halted, Toph's eyes and focus aimed toward Katara. Before she could lift her hand and touch Katara's face to see if a smile or frown lay there, Katara took her hand away. Toph shifted one foot to watch as Katara took hold, once more, of the pendant hanging from the choker.

"You still don't know how to put your hair up properly?" Katara asked, forcing a chuckle into her words. Toph closed her eyes for a long moment, taking in a breath. When she opened her eyes, she smiled, and it was as forced as Katara's laugh.

"It's not like anyone can show me how to do it, Katara," she said. "Besides, I don't really need to keep it out of my eyes or anything." The laugh that Katara let pass through her lips was natural and bright, and she lifted her eyes from the ground where they had rested to Toph's face.

"It'd look better if it was a little neater." She put her hand on Toph's shoulder, pushing to make Toph begin to walk alongside her once more. "I could—I don't know, I could braid it for you. We could still put up, to keep it from swinging around." Toph smiled, lips curling without an effort.

"I'll think about it, Katara," she replied. "Thanks." They continued on, reaching Katara's home after minutes of amiable quiet. With the sun's disappearance behind the mountains to the west, Katara could see candlelight glinting through the windows, and both caught the scent of food as Katara opened the front door. Aang rose from where he sat at the table, its surface covered with plates of vegetables, breads, and a few pieces of meat.

"Welcome back!" he said, striding over to wrap his arms around Katara. Though she returned the embrace, arms looping around Aang's waist, Katara looked toward Toph. The other woman had turned her head away, staring at a wall with neither a frown nor a smile on her face. She gave a crooked grin when Aang stepped away from Katara and wrapped one arm around her shoulders.

"Come on, sit down!" Aang said. "It's all really good!"

"Been sneaking tastes before we got here, Twinkle Toes?" Toph asked. He laughed, lifting his arm and sitting back down.

"I just know that it's good!" he replied. "We're all having a meal together again—how could it not be good? Please, sit down and have something!" The two women hesitated only a moment, both waiting for the other to move briefly before sitting down at the table. They all remained quiet as they gathered food and drink, sitting for another long moment without speaking. From his place peeking in through an open window, Momo squealed at the sight of food, clambering through the window and flying to the table. He crouched between the dishes and snatched a peach, biting into it with a pleased trill.

The lemur's abruptness brought a wave of laughter from Toph and Katara, and they continued to laugh as Aang grabbed at the creature. Momo squealed, taking hold of the peach with his teeth and plucking two more from the bowl. He leapt from the table, dashing for the window. Aang sighed at the lemur, but smiled at the laughter he heard. He took one of the few remaining peaches and took a bite, waiting for the giggles and snickers to subside.

"I know you probably told Katara all about it," he said, "but I'll trade you some of my stories. How's life been as the Blind Bandit?" Toph sat, focus turned toward Katara. She felt the vibration as Katara shifted, leaning toward Aang. His hand came to rest atop Katara's, and Toph took a bite of bread to push back the "alone" that came to her tongue. She swallowed hard and grinned.

"Good," she said. "It's been good." Aang smiled as the woman across the table began to speak, at length, of her most recent streak of victories. Katara, unsure if she had heard the story before, listened closely. She remained quiet as Aang told choice stories of his affairs as the Avatar, unable to keep her eyes from drifting to Toph when the other woman laughed.

----------

Toph lay with her eyes closed and her arms behind her head, stomach full with food and her mind with the night. The storytelling had continued until the table was cleared and the moon was directly overhead. After helping to clear away the mess, Aang had parted with a kiss from Katara and a wave from Toph. The two women had given each other simple goodbyes, Toph walking away to the small house in the mountain's foothills. She sighed and rolled onto her side, eyes opening.

She let her fingers trace patterns in the dirt on the floor, wiping away the symbols of the Air Nomads and the Water Tribe as soon as she etched them. Her hand soon stilled, lying with fingers curled lightly in the pile of dirt she had made. She lifted her hand and let it fall back to the ground, the tremors ricocheting from the walls returning to her quickly. The house, small as it was, was more than spacious enough for her to be comfortable. Toph pulled her fingers through the dirt once more, unable to remember a night when she had not made her own, impermanent shelter since leaving her family's estate in Gaoling.

The house was comfortable. The city and its people were welcoming. Her friends were as kind and familial as she remembered them. Toph sat up, spine tense at the thought of Katara's silence throughout the day. She rubbed her forehead, heaving a sigh that rocked her shoulders. As time continued to pass, she tried to hold herself still, unwilling to feel the echoes that returned to her of a room that grew smaller with each shift of her weight.

With another heavy sigh, Toph rose to her feet, striding to the table and reaching for her rucksack. When her fingers touched the rough cloth, she paused at the gentle vibration that struck the back of her heel. The vibrations quickly grew stronger and more frequent, and she heard footsteps on the path leading to the door. Toph turned about, walking slowly toward the door while dragging her feet. Before a knock could fall on the doorframe, she slid the door open.

"Katara?" she asked. "What are you still doing up?"

"I was just…meditating," Katara said, hands clasped loosely together. "Would you like to come to my school tomorrow?" She let out a small laugh that trailed into a quiet hum. "I know that I wasn't very talkative today. If you came, we could at least spend some more time together." She chuckled once more. "I promise that I'll try to make it less boring for you."

Toph stood almost entirely still, only shifting her toes on the ground to see. There was no tension in Katara's shoulders, her head held high and her hands nowhere near her necklace. After a moment, Toph smiled, forgetting about her bag.

"I'd love to, Katara," she replied.

"Great," Katara said quietly. Toph lifted her hand, brushing her knuckles against Katara's cheek and feeling the lifted corner of her smiling lips. She pulled her hand away when Katara's cheek grew warm. Katara's voice fluttered when she spoke again and said, "See you tomorrow?" Toph continued to smile as she nodded.

"Yeah," she murmured. "I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, Katara."

"Good night, Toph," Katara said in return. She turned slowly and began to walk back down the path. Toph closed the door and lay down, smiling as she watched Katara fade into the distance. She rolled onto her stomach and crossed her arms beneath her head, falling asleep soon after she closed her eyes. Katara slipped into her bed as Toph fell asleep, cheeks still burning when she followed the other woman into a dreamless slumber.

—_to be continued—_


	4. Chapter 4

Ye Chang Meng Duo: Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Nickelodeon (and all others) own "Avatar: The Last Airbender." I own whatever I write/create. Don't steal and don't sue.

A/N: This is a collaborative work between myself, and the artist Mag (fortheloveofpizza. Please make sure to visit Mag's deviantArt page for artwork that is, not so much inspired by this story, as the story is inspired by Mag's exceptional imagination. The title is Chinese for, "The longer the night lasts, the more our dreams will be."

The next morning, Katara found that Toph's fame as the Blind Bandit was far-reaching enough for her waterbending students to whisper amongst themselves about schemes to acquire the woman's autograph behind her back. Katara frowned at the gaggle, a mix of boys and girls, before turning to Toph. The other woman stood biting her lip, holding back snickers as the students continued to believe she could not hear their absurd, whispered ideas. Katara smiled and turned back to the students. She pulled the cork from the opening of her water-filled skin, feeling the water when the air touched it. She cupped her hand and let it rise, drawing out the liquid. With swift swings of her arms, she made the water whip crack against each student's rear in turn. Toph began to laugh aloud at the yelps of surprise and faint pain.

"Get into pairs, everyone!" Katara said, unable to silence the chuckle in her voice. The girls and boys grinned sheepishly, jogging into the courtyard and moving to stand side by side. They shuffled their feet anxiously, and Toph watched the dim outlines of their faces turning to follow Katara into the courtyard.

"Okay, pushing exercises!" the woman said. A few students grinned, turning toward the massive urns filled with water placed liberally around the courtyard. "Touching first—I want to see you redirecting each other before we get to the water!" Despite their groans, the students turned to their partners, settling into the low, wide stance that Toph had felt Katara use many times before. When they crossed their arms, wrists against wrists and hands against forearms, Toph let out a snort.

"Wow, Katara," she said. "And here I thought you said you'd make the class less boring." Katara punched Toph's shoulder gently, torn between smiling and frowning at the smirk that Toph adopted moments later.

"This is how I always start classes," Katara explained. "It's to help my students start to focus on waterbending." Toph's head tilted as she patted her toes against the ground. She watched for a few moments as the students pushed at one another's arms, turning as pressure came upon them and reversing the motion in wide, continuous circles. With a raised brow, she let her head turn back toward Katara.

"How does pushing someone like a sissy make you focus on waterbending?" she asked. Katara sighed, crossing her arms to stop herself from tapping the end of Toph's nose.

"Waterbending isn't always about sending a tidal wave after someone," she said. "Water is hard to hold on to, and learning how to redirect everything from your opponent's hands to their chi helps you learn how to concentrate."

"Because pushing someone like a sissy will make me concentrate completely," Toph replied, waving a hand and shrugging. Katara smirked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Okay," she said. "Try it with me then." The students paused for a moment, looking up at their teacher's challenge. Toph blew a puff of air between her pursed lips, grinning crookedly as Katara strode into the courtyard.

"Fine," Toph said, following the other woman. "Don't be sad if I don't pay attention." Katara gestured to her students to resume their exercises. They did as she bade, but continued to watch from the corners of their eyes as the two women sank into their stances. Katara paused, snickering as she stood straight.

"I know that's how you earthbend, but that won't really _work_ right now," she chuckled. Toph sighed and rolled her eyes, dropping her raised, upturned arms and straightening her slightly bent knees. After a moment of thought, she spread her feet apart, one forward and the other back. She lifted her hands again, again staggering them fore and rear. When Katara tried to bite back another laugh, Toph sighed, head falling to one side.

"What am I doing wrong _now_, Sugar Queen?" she asked. Katara giggled, moving to stand behind the other woman. She put her hands on Toph's shoulders, pausing at the curve of muscle sloping down from Toph's neck she saw from within the woman's high collar. It would take only a slight reach of her thumbs to push down the collar and brush aside the loose hairs that hung on the back of Toph's neck.

"Stand up normally again," she said quietly. "It's easier to start from there." Toph rose up, Katara keeping her hands on the woman's shoulders. "Okay, you weren't too off with the stance. Put your feet shoulder-width apart, and keep them straight." She glanced down when Toph had stopped moving, tapping her foot against Toph's right to make the woman straighten it. "Bend your knees—sit in the air." Toph glanced over her shoulder, turning one pale eye as if she were able to see.

"It'd be nice if I could just see you do this, huh?" she asked, chuckling. Katara smiled and nodded, pushing gently on Toph's shoulders until she stood with her knees bent correctly. She lifted her hands and strode to stand before Toph, examining her stance before nodding once more and returning her hands to their place on Toph's shoulders.

"Now, just turn at the waist," she said. Toph turned in the direction Katara's hands guided her toward, stopping when Katara's hands stilled. Katara moved again, stepping opposite of Toph. She settled into a similar stance, her leading foot parallel to Toph's, and reached to take Toph's wrists in her hands.

"Put one hand on my arm," she continued. "Like this." She lay her right hand on Toph's left forearm, close to the wrist. Toph mimicked her, blinking when Katara's free hand rose and pressed its wrist to hers. They stood for a time, Toph quietly savoring the soft skin under her fingers. As Katara shifted slightly, straightening her feet, Toph let her fingers move and caress Katara's arm.

"Ready to start?" Katara asked. She had stiffened at the touch she felt, lifting her eyes to find a soft gaze aimed just over her head. Toph smiled, lips curling slowly.

"Do I get to knock you on your butt now?" she asked. Katara frowned first at Toph, and then at those students whose snickers were loud enough for her to hear.

"That's not the point," she said with a sigh. "We're going to redirect each other." She smiled suddenly, head rising to stare at Toph's eyes. "Push me over."

"Promise you won't be mad when you hit the ground?" Toph asked, grinning crookedly. Katara's smile became a smirk, and the students who saw it whispered to their fellows, all their gazes turning to rest on the two women though they carried on with their motions.

"Push me over," Katara repeated. Toph shrugged her shoulders and thrust her arms forward, closing her open hand into a fist and pushing hard on Katara's wrist and arm. Katara smiled, feet never shifting as she turned at the waist. Toph's eyes widened as her force and her arms were first accepted and then guided away, her rear foot lifting and turning while Katara continued to move. She pushed Toph in return, who, stance broken, stumbled back.

"Very cute, Sugar Queen," Toph grumbled. She frowned at the quiet laughs she heard, dragging her foot against the ground in a swift jerk. Five or six students, all who had been laughing, yelped as the ground stubbed their toes. Toph smiled, feeling the pained up and down hops of three students, who moaned as they rubbed at their feet. She shuffled her feet back into position, lifting her arms and reaching out to touch Katara's arms.

"I just turned you away," Katara said. They both grew quiet and still at the sharpness that had risen in Katara's voice, Katara looking at the ground to avoid Toph's eyes. Toph pushed at Katara's arms gently, and the other woman, simply out of surprise, did not redirect the pressure. Her arms bent at the elbows, and Toph smiled at her.

"Now who's not paying attention?" she asked. The short breath, a puff of annoyance, made Toph wish she could touch Katara's face to capture the outline of whatever expression was there. Katara found herself torn between frowning and pouting, eventually smiling as she brought her arms back into position.

"So how do you turn someone like that?" Toph asked, pushing at Katara's arms again. Katara turned at the waist more slowly, allowing Toph to keep her balance.

"You turn with me," Katara explained. "And you switch the position of your hands when I start to push back." She began to turn back, lifting her hand from Toph's forearm to push their wrists together. Toph followed the lead and laid the hand that had been touching Katara's wrist onto her forearm. She turned at the waist as well, never tilting forward or backward. When their circle came back to its original place, their hands changed position once more. Toph pushed, Katara received and reversed, and Toph continued the circle into another push.

"Good," Katara said with a chuckle. She stood, neither pushing nor turning, with her hands resting on Toph's arms. Toph smiled at her, turning over her arms to brush her fingers against Katara's palms. Katara started, blinking, but did not jerk her hands away. She rose from her stance, straightening slowly and watching Toph do the same.

"Okay, fine," Toph said, lifting her hands and grinning crookedly. "This isn't as big of a sissy exercise as I thought." She let her hands drop, shrugging her shoulders. "But I'm still glad I'm not a waterbender. Even if it looks pretty, it's still too soft for me."

"You've only done one pushing exercise," Katara said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "That would be like me giving up on earthbending after pushing one rock because I think it's too rough." She sighed and shook her head, turning toward her students. "I think that anyway, so it's a good thing I'm not an earthbender."

"Why don't we try a few forms?" Katara turned on heel, looking at the other woman. The question was not a challenge, only a simple invitation coupled with a smile. "I could show you some earthbending forms, and you could show me some waterbending."

"I need to teach my class, Toph," Katara said with a sigh.

"Aw, come on, Sifu Katara!" one girl protested.

"Yeah!" a boy chirped. "We want to see the Blind Bandit in action!" The students, fully having ceased their pushing exercise, turned as one and started asking Katara to acquiesce. The reasons they gave ranged from simple interest to insisting that different forms might help them in their waterbending. Katara stared at them, listening to their shouts, before slowly turning toward Toph. The other woman smiled and shrugged. Katara heaved a sigh and lifted her hands in defeat. Toph grinned when she heard the students cheer and felt the ground tremble as they charged out of the largest space of the courtyard to sit and watch.

"Let's keep working on waterbending," Katara said, holding back another sigh. She gestured as she walked, watching over her shoulder as Toph followed her into the center of the courtyard. They stood side by side for a moment before Toph settled into the low stance from minutes ago. She stood straight again when Katara chuckled.

"That's wrong again?" she asked. Katara shook her head, still chuckling quietly.

"Just early. Stand with your feet together and your hands at your sides." For a moment, she stood with the fingers of one hand resting on her chin, head tilted to one side as she thought. When the moment passed, she let her hands take hold of Toph's wrists, smiling slightly.

"I'll guide you through the first few forms," she said. "It should be easier than making you watch me." Toph nodded, and Katara began. She lifted Toph's hands, reaching above both of their heads. As she brought them back down, she pushed her left foot against Toph's right, pushing her to stand in the low, wide stance from before while she lifted Toph's hands once more and separated them. Katara continued to guide Toph through the forms even as the blind woman chuckled quietly.

"Is this supposed to feel like dancing?" she asked. Katara paused and glanced up, finding that Toph's head was tilted forward enough for her to see the woman's eyes. Her dark hair hung before them, shadowing them and making Katara think again of braiding Toph's hair properly. When her thoughts turned to wondering what Toph's hair would feel like beneath her fingers, she let her head drop and began to guide her once more.

"I guess it could feel like dancing," she replied. "I've never thought about it before."

"It does," Toph said, voice growing quiet. "I never thought I'd like dancing so much." Katara, the forms coming to an end, let Toph's hands stop between them, moving her grip to squeeze Toph's fingers gently. She looked up at Toph's smile and returned it, trying to ignore the warmth that had caused it to appear. The students clapped for their teacher, loudly though politely. Katara chuckled when the sound tapered off, taking a slight step back.

"Well, now I know how I can teach someone who can't see," she said with a vague shrug. Toph laughed aloud, and Katara started at the laughter of her students. She stared at them with wide eyes, remembering in a rush that they had been present the last few minutes. She quickly laughed with them, hoping that the blush that burned on her cheeks would be ignored.

"And now we get to see if _you_ can be _taught_ by someone who can't see," Toph replied. "I promise not be as tough on you as I was on Aang, Sugar Queen."

"You taught the Avatar?" two or three students chorused. Toph grinned and crossed her arms, turning her head toward the voices.

"What, doesn't it make sense that the greatest earthbender in the world would teach the Avatar how to earthbend?" she asked. The students laughed and prodded each other with their elbows, and Toph chuckled as she turned back to Katara, tapping her toes against the ground. She saw the woman standing before her, the fingers of one hand touching the stone pendant of her necklace and the others laid on her cheek.

"Ready to start?" Toph asked. Katara put her arms at her sides quickly, nodding enough for Toph to feel it faintly in her feet. She moved to stand behind Katara, reaching around to take Katara's wrists in her hands. Katara grew stiff, turning to glance over her shoulder.

"I'm not actually expecting you to bend anything," Toph said. "And this is better than me yelling at you when you're wrong." She did not move her fingers, but wondered if the touch of her calluses would tickle the soft underside of Katara's wrists. "Just tell me if you're uncomfortable." Katara stared at the ground before her feet, shoulders tense as she felt Toph's breath stir loose strands of her hair against her cheek. She swallowed hard and blinked.

"Could you step back a little bit?" she asked. Toph shuffled away, hands still holding Katara's wrists. She turned Katara's arms gently, the palms of her hands facing upward. When viewed against Katara's waterbending, Toph's earthbending was simple, made up of hard punches, chops, and turns in all four directions to continue with the form. The martial art was not, however, what either woman focused upon.

They did not pay attention to their own breathing. Toph listened to Katara's breath, fast and barely keeping time with the strikes. Katara felt the sharp rushes Toph let out against her skin, curling against her ears and neck. The strikes they made, though unified, were not what mattered to their hands. Toph kept her grip gentle but tight, wishing to let her hands roam up to lace Katara's fingers in hers. Katara's hands tightened and loosened, as did her throat when her skin hummed under Toph's calluses. They turned, feet dragging against the ground, at Toph's guidance. Toph never moved too swiftly, never meaning to make Katara uncomfortable. Katara stepped too quickly at every signal that was given to her, nearly jumping at the gentle tap of Toph's toes against her leg to move forward, and leaning forward to keep her back from pressing against Toph's chest.

The students broke into applause, slightly more enthused than before, when the two women stopped moving. Toph let her hands linger on Katara's wrists a moment, able to see the curve of Katara's neck as the woman's quick breaths sent vibrations through the ground. A thought crossed her mind, to simply tilt her head down and press her lips against the soft curve, regardless of the students that were only beginning to grow quiet. Katara stepped away, turning on heel to face Toph. She smiled and laughed, a flush on her face.

"I guess I'm not used to moving like that," she said. "I'd be a terrible earthbender, wouldn't I?" The students laughed, and Katara laughed with them. Toph only smiled and crossed her arms over her chest, standing and listening as Katara, flustered over the placement of the sun overhead, told the students to take their midday break. As they made their way from the courtyard, Katara walked to one of the urns filled with water. She cupped her hands and lifted the cool liquid to her face, splashing it against her cheeks.

"I think you'd make a good earthbender." Katara looked up at the statement, water dripping from her chin. Toph's smile was wide and her eyes soft, and Katara reached for more water when her cheeks flushed again. "But you were right when you said that you'd be best as a waterbender."

"Why's that?" Katara asked, letting the tips of her fingers dangle in the water.

"Because you're beautiful when you waterbend," Toph replied. Katara said nothing, staring at her reflection in the water. She closed her eyes and swirled her fingers in the water, unwilling to see the smile that had appeared on her face.

"You said I was just pretty before," she said in return. "Why the sudden boost in your opinion of me?" Toph stared at Katara, unable to see more than the woman leaning on her elbows against the urn. She closed her eyes and sighed, uncrossing her arms and walking to where Katara stood. Katara looked up when Toph laid a hand on her shoulder. The two women looked at each other, Katara remained still as Toph brushed the back of her hand against her cheeks.

"I always thought you were beautiful, Katara," Toph said. "That's never changed." Katara watched Toph's lips curl slowly into a smile, her hair hanging before her eyes. Before she could stop her hand, it rose and tucked the loose, long strands behind Toph's ears.

"Let me braid your hair," Katara said. She laughed, falteringly, at the raised brow that followed her command. "I'm tired of it hanging in your face all the time. It'll look better up, I swear." Toph was silent only a moment before sighing, shrugging, and sitting down on the ground. She reached up and untied the thin white strip of cloth that held up the loose bun, the unbound black hair falling to the middle of her back. Katara stared, reaching out and touching Toph's hair to find it without tangles or snarls, thick and clean beneath her fingers.

"This should go quickly," she said as she knelt behind the other woman. "I'm amazed your hair is so…manageable now. You used to wake up with an explosion on your head." She combed Toph's hair with her fingers, gently separating it into three equally sized tails.

"That got annoying," Toph replied, sitting cross-legged with her elbows on her knees. "It's easier just to dunk my head in a river more than usual." Katara laughed, and Toph smiled at the sound. She remained quiet and still, eyes closing as Katara weaved her hair into a tight braid. When Katara paused, Toph held up the strip of cloth and passed it over her shoulder, receiving a murmured thanks in return. The braid was ended with a quick wrap with the cloth, and Katara went quickly into her house, returning barely a minute later with a few hair pins clutched in her hand. With an efficient hand, Katara created a new bun with the braid, pining it into place where Toph always wore her hair.

"There," Katara said, sitting back on her heels. "It looks wonderful." Toph snickered, reaching back and patting at the braid.

"Way to get all girly in a matter of seconds, Sugar Queen," she said. She flicked at the end of the braid that dangled down, smirking when it did not brush against her neck. She turned where she sat, aiming her eyes toward Katara. They did not speak as Toph lifted her hand and caressed the curve of Katara's cheek, cupping it in her palm. When she felt the heat of a blush beneath her fingers, she did not take away her hand, instead letting her thumb pass over Katara's cheek once more.

"Thank you," Toph murmured quietly. She smiled slightly. "It doesn't look dumb, does it?" Katara smiled, laying her hand over Toph's.

"You look beautiful, Toph," she said. "I've told you that before." She closed her eyes and lifted Toph's hand from her face, gripping it tightly. "That hasn't changed either." They said nothing more to each other, content to sit with one another's hands. From time to time, they laced their fingers together, or pressed their thumbs into the other's palm. There was no need to look at each other, as they knew they both wore smiles. Until the students returned from their long midday break, Toph and Katara were willing to simply know the other's touch on their hand.

When the students returned, Katara started and rose to her feet quickly, hand rising to grasp the stone pendant on her necklace. Toph stood as well, only to move and sit just on the edge of the courtyard. The class resumed, Katara instructing in a clear voice. Toph kept her focus on the other woman, smile dimming when she noticed how often Katara's fingers touched her necklace. She left before the class was dismissed, and Katara did not speak with her that night.

—_to be continued—_


	5. Chapter 5

Ye Chang Meng Duo: Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Nickelodeon (and all others) own "Avatar: The Last Airbender." I own whatever I write/create. Don't steal and don't sue.

A/N: This is a collaborative work between myself, and the artist Mag (fortheloveofpizza. Please make sure to visit Mag's deviantArt page for artwork that is, not so much inspired by this story, as the story is inspired by Mag's exceptional imagination. The title is Chinese for, "The longer the night lasts, the more our dreams will be."

"You wouldn't want to talk, would you?" Katara looked up from the urn of water, feeling the skin beneath her eyes burn. The sun had barely risen, the fog gathered at the edge of the sea still hanging in the air. Toph stood just inside the courtyard, eyelids drooping as much as Katara's and her shoulders bowed in the same way. Katara sighed and dipped a hand into the urn of water, pressing her wet fingers to the tender skin under her eyes.

"About being awake at sunrise?" Katara asked. "I'm not very happy about it."

"I mean about yesterday." Katara let her fingers return to the water for a moment, closing her eyes and laying her fingers over them.

"I'm not really happy about that either." Toph sighed, walking toward the other woman.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," she said, shrugging her shoulders and holding up her hands. "And if I did—I'm sort of sorry." Katara lifted her fingers from her face and opened her eyes, letting her hands fall back into the water with an audible slap. Toph halted, able to see Katara turn as the woman's feet dragged against the ground.

"How can you be 'sort of sorry'?" she demanded.

"Because I'm sorry that I made you uncomfortable," Toph replied, "but I'm not sorry for what I did." She let her hands return to her sides, and did not take another step toward Katara. Neither woman moved, and neither spoke for many minutes.

"Are you?" Toph asked.

"Sorry?" Toph watched one of Katara's arms rise, hand waving in a gesture that had no meaning. "For what? For showing you waterbending forms? For helping you braid your hair?"

"Are you sorry at all?" Katara let out a slow breath, arm falling to her side and her head tilting forward. After a moment, she crossed her arms, and Toph scowled when she saw, through Katara's shuffling feet, the woman reach up to touch the pendant hanging from her necklace.

"Yes," Katara murmured.

"Why?" Toph began to stride toward the other woman, pausing when the echoes of her footsteps brought her the sight of Katara's hand gripping the pendant tightly, her shoulders tense. She stopped, and Katara let out a sigh as she opened her hand. Imprints of the three swirls lay in her palm, and she stared at them, unable to look up at Toph.

"I don't know," she said.

"Don't know _what_?" Toph demanded. "What you're sorry for, or what you want?" Katara sighed again, shoulders falling as she closed her eyes.

"Both," she said, voice cracking. "Toph, please, I don't want to do this now." Toph could not keep the scowl from coming to her face, hands tightening to fists at her sides.

"Do what, Sugar Queen?" she asked. "Stop being so—mysterious about everything! I'm sick of it!"

"Then why don't _you_ stop?" Katara asked. "All you've done is this—this back and forth with me!" Toph put her hands on her forehead with a groaning sigh, pressing hard to ignore the way Katara had grown still and invisible.

"I already told you that I don't want to make you uncomfortable," she said. "Katara, why can't we just _talk_?" She took another few steps toward Katara, her scowl fading as she moved. Katara looked up as Toph drew near. She did not ignore the sad, confused frown on Toph's face, and did not stop Toph's hands from reaching up and laying their cool fingertips on her cheeks, just beneath her eyes.

"Am I making you uncomfortable now?" Toph asked.

"I—no," Katara murmured. She laid her hands over Toph's, closing her eyes at the roughness of the other woman's fingers. The warm palms Toph had laid against her cheeks were ones she wanted to kiss and to push away all at once. Katara drew in a deep breath, simply holding Toph's hands against her cheeks. Toph moved to stand closer, resting her forehead against Katara's.

"Now?" she asked. It was a moment before Katara responded with a soft sigh and a slight shake of her head. She opened her eyes, and Toph felt the warmth of a blush spread under her hands. They stood for a moment, Katara's eyes watching Toph's, and Toph letting her fingers move slowly and gently on Katara's face. They felt each other's breath on their skin, and when Toph finally spoke, her voice was soft and low.

"Then can we just talk without you being uncomfortable?" she asked. Katara nodded once, and Toph smiled as she slowly stepped away. When she opened her mouth to speak again, however, a high-pitched whine made both women jump in surprise. Katara turned toward the sound, blinking when she noticed Toph drawing back her foot.

"Toph, wait!" Her cry came too late to stop Toph from kicking her heel against the ground. A large rock shot up from the ground, inches from the source of the whine. A raccoon-dog, more fluffy brown and black fur than natural fat, howled in surprise and reared back on its hind legs. Toph turned, blinking as the raccoon-dog began to run about the stone when it fell back to the ground. It barked at the rock, stopping only to sniff at it before starting up in its frantic circle. Katara bit back a laugh, letting go of Toph's hands and covering her mouth.

"Fai!" The call was drawn out, the voice familiar. Kailas jogged around the corner of the courtyard, and the raccoon-dog all but tripped over its paws turning about to run to the woman. She crouched down and the animal leapt up, barreling into her chest with enough force to knock her from her feet. Katara bit her lip harder to stop her giggles, and Toph simply laughed aloud as the raccoon-dog sniffed and snorted at Kailas' face and head before she stood up.

"Sorry," Kailas said, gesturing toward the raccoon-dog running around her feet. "Fai hasn't been bothering you for food, has he?"

"Not lately," Katara replied. "You're out late today. And you don't even have your flute." Kailas shrugged, and Katara could not tell if her eyes were open at all above her smile.

"Fai was whining loud enough to wake me from the first sleep I've had in days," she said. "Hova must have gone to see if she could get some food already." She bowed slightly, patting at her hip to get the raccoon-dog's attention. "Good morning, miss water and earthbender." She turned and jogged away, Fai outpacing her with his quick run. Katara looked at Toph, and the two women shook their heads, laughing. When her stomach groaned loudly, Toph grinned crookedly.

"I guess food right now isn't that bad of an idea," she chuckled.

"I'll get something for us," Katara said. "Wait for me here?"

"If we're finally going to talk?" Toph asked. "Absolutely." She paused, eyes narrowing in thought. "What do you want me to do if Aang comes here?"

"It'll be fine," Katara replied. "He likes 'patrolling' the city in the morning." She reached out and took one of Toph's hands, squeezing gently. "I'll be back." Toph smiled at her and nodded once. She watched as Katara walked away, the echoes of her footsteps fading soon after she had left the courtyard.

----------

The baker gave Katara a sleepy smile and sluggish wave as the young woman strode up to his storefront. She returned the gestures, and the man took the opportunity to let his chin fall back onto his chest. Katara looked over the fresh breads, leaning over slightly to breathe in the scent that accompanied the small wisps of steam that rose from the still hot dough. She straightened, but did not reach for any particular loaf or roll.

Her cheeks were still warm when she lifted one hand and pressed her fingers to her face. The faint smile that she had given the baker quickly disappeared, and she put her fingers on her lips after a time. Her mind began to wander, thoughts flitting from memories to prospects and back and again. The thought of the fleeting, single kiss she had given to Toph years ago made her cheeks burn. The idea of Aang's kisses, given freely and often, made the blood drain from her face.

No words came to her, neither for Aang nor for Toph. Katara stood, half reaching for a loaf of bread, unable to think. The urge to touch the pendant was equaled only by the desire to touch her lips, and Katara felt her stomach churn and her legs shake. She dropped her hand in an effort to reclaim her balance, closing her eyes and drawing a deep breath. When a hand touched her shoulder, she jumped and let out a strangled gasp, spinning about.

"Sorry, Katara!" Aang put both hands on her shoulders, smiling sheepishly as he steadied her. "I didn't mean to scare you so badly!"

"It—it's all right," Katara said, her voice little more than a squeak. She cleared her throat, giving him a small smile while touching his wrists. He grinned and took his hands from her shoulders.

"Well, good morning," he chuckled, waving one hand.

"Good morning, Aang," Katara replied, nodding her head slightly. She glanced over her shoulder at the breads piled on the table, blinking when she turned back to Aang. "I was—Toph and I are going to have breakfast together."

"Boy, sometimes I wish I didn't start my patrols so early," Aang said with a laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "I'd have loved to join you guys."

"It's all right!" Katara said quickly. "We—we can all eat together later!" Aang's grin grew broader, and he nodded.

"It's great having Toph here, isn't it?" he asked. "I missed her a lot." The smile that appeared on his face made Katara's throat grow painfully tight. "Didn't you?" She stared at him, unable to breathe or to blink for fear that the burning in her face would become tears. Eventually, she swallowed hard enough to push down the lump that had swelled in her throat. She smiled, and Aang saw how slowly it came to her.

"I did," she said. "It's nice that she's here." They fell quiet, and did not meet each other's gaze for many moments. When the moments passed, Aang leaned forward to kiss Katara gently. She hesitated before returning the kiss, and they gave each other small smiles when they drew away.

"I'll come by later today," Aang said. "You go back and have a nice breakfast with Toph." Katara nodded, looking at the ground when he turned to walk away. He glanced back over his shoulder as he walked, only looking away when Katara asked the baker for two small loaves of fresh bread.

----------

It was Fai's high-pitched whine that Katara heard first as she made her way back toward the center of the city. The sound was urgent, only stopping when the animal drew breath to cry further. Katara's steps quickened as she heard the sharp barking howl only a kicked raccoon-dog could create. She turned a final corner, backpedaling to avoid crashing into a man. The small crowd that had gathered in a wide circle was made of the early risers and storekeepers eager to prepare for the rush of morning market-goers. Katara stepped into an empty space in the broken circle, stopping immediately and dropping the bag that held the bread she had just purchased.

"You're just a pair of dogs, like that stupid mutt." Kailas knelt with one hand resting gently on Fai's fluttering stomach. The raccoon-dog panted and whimpered, lying on the ground. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" The man that had been speaking kicked a loose stone with his bare foot. Kailas' head jerked back when the rock struck her temple, and she lifted her head, barely noticing the trickle of blood that began to follow the curve of her cheek. Three men stood before her, one man holding Hova's arms behind her back. Hova could not move as the man pressed her wrists against her back, feet encased in stone. Katara saw Kailas' jaw tighten at the whimper of pain that Hova could not bite back.

"You think you're too good for us?" the man holding Hova's arms demanded. He tugged Hova back against his chest, grinning broadly. "Oh, I think she'd be much happier with any one of us. I bet I could actually give her enough to _eat_." Kailas patted Fai's back, and he rose to his feet. He licked at her hand before she pushed at his rear and sent him limping away. She stood straight, open hands at her sides.

"Hova?" she said, voice carrying despite its softness. Hova paused in her struggles to stop the ache in her shoulders, breath coming in quick bursts as she looked at the other woman. "You know that I'm sorry, don't you?" Katara watched Hova swallow and nod, quickly turning her gaze back to Kailas. The woman's shoulders, once sagging, rose up, hands tightening into fists. Her head rose up as she shook aside the hair that hung in her face, half-lidded eyes opening completely.

"Then—_duck_." Katara could hardly look away from the rage that had built in Kailas' gold colored eyes, but watched the woman's feet slide apart as she crouched into a low stance. Hova wrenched her arms free of the man's grasp, dropping to her knees and covering her head with her hands. Kailas drew back her fist, and Katara's breath caught just behind her tongue. A simple punch would have fallen laughingly short of the men standing far out of reach of her arms. Kailas, as she thrust her fist forward, let out a sound that was both sharp breath and snarl of anger. Flames rushed from her hand, and gasps of astonishment and shouts of fright accompanied it.

The man who had been holding Hova's arms in his hands found the shoulder of his sleeveless shirt alight with fire, shrieking in horror as he slapped at the flames and crying out again in pain when his skin began to blister and burn. Kailas bent forward, putting her hands on the ground and lifting her rear foot back as she turned. More fire followed the kick, arcing out to strike the man full in the chest and knock him from his feet. He howled as he rolled about on the ground, shirt turning to ashy tatters and his flesh burning until the flames were put out by his frantic rolling and slapping.

"Get away from Hova!" Kailas shouted as she returned to a ready stance, fists up and voice booming. The two men turned away from their whimpering, prone compatriot, staring at the woman before them. Around them, the men, women, and children of the crowd stood silent, mouths and eyes open wide. Katara could not bring herself to move forward, to stop the men she did not know and the woman whom she had never seen so angered, and she did not know why.

"You—firebending _filth_!" one of the two men snarled, spitting on the ground near Hova's head.

"I said to get away from her!" Kailas snapped in return. She swung her left arm wide, the wave of fire missing the men as they ducked low. As he dropped to his knees, one man lifted his fists and brought them down onto the ground. The stone beneath Kailas' feet rose quickly and unevenly, launching her into the air. She landed hard on her back, rolling aside before another pillar of rock shot up from the ground where her head had lain.

Katara found herself barely able to breathe, her throat painfully tight. She watched as the two men, both earthbenders, hurled rocks at Kailas from different angles and blocked her fire with more stones. The woman continued to lash out with punches and kicks that sent out arcs of flame. With her attention divided between the men, their rocks, and Hova, still kneeling on the ground with her hands over her head, Kailas' attacks only made rare contact with skin or cloth. When her eyes lingered for too long on anything, a massive stone would strike her, catching her shoulder or side and sending her to the ground in a heap.

No matter how many times she fell and Katara felt her eyes grow wider, Kailas always regained her footing and renewed her firebending. Blood flowed from her nose from a fall that had her head bouncing against the ground, from her lip when a stone fragment shot by, and from scrapes that had torn through the patches all over her clothing. The two men continued to jeer at her despite their accumulating burns and scorched clothing, spitting at Hova and stomping the ground to launch Kailas into the air when she ran forward in an attempt to reach the other woman.

Katara, hands shaking and eyes burning, still could not move. She wanted to reach for the skin filled with water resting on her hip, but stood as silent and unmoving as the others in the loosely formed circle. One of the men snapped his heel against the ground, a rock popping into the air. He punched the stone, and Kailas fell aside to dodge it. Katara stared as the boulder-sized stone rushed toward her, eyes widening even further.

"Katara, move!" A callused hand grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her aside. Toph crouched down and slammed her fists against the ground, a thick wall of rock rising up. The boulder crashed into the wall, shattering on impact.

"What's going on?" Toph demanded, taking hold of Katara's shoulders. "Are you okay? Why are they attacking Kailas and Hova?" Katara shook her head slowly, Toph's presence enough to let her breathe once more.

"I don't know," she said, voice cracking. Toph stood for a moment with her mouth hanging open, brows furrowed. Her eyes widened suddenly, and she let go of Katara's shoulders, putting her hands on the wall of stone and digging her fingers into it. She all but threw the stone back into the ground, taking a step forward. Katara turned in time to see why Toph had let her go so quickly.

The two men, on opposite sides of Kailas, had both thrown boulders. Kailas, legs threatening to buckle beneath her and breath coming in deep rushes, took half a step backward, turning slightly, before the stones crashed into her. The single snap that issued from Kailas' right arm was audible in the abrupt silence that followed, Kailas' eyes growing wide and her jaw going slack. The boulders fell back onto the ground and Kailas to her knees, bending over her arm. Her breath shuddered as she drew it, her head bowed.

"Kailas!" Hova scrabbled at the ground with her hands, wincing when her entrapped feet did not budge from where they were. Her eyes welled over with tears, and she gave a cry as the man nearest to her strode over and struck her temple with his heel.

"That's enough!" The man jerked back when his cheek began to sting, pressing his hand to the pain and finding a thin line of blood in his palm when he pulled it back. He looked up to find Katara standing with a sphere of water hovering over her hand, a scowl on her face. Toph stood beside her, palms turned up and arms bent at the elbows. With a quick drag of her foot across the ground, Toph shattered the stone holding Hova's feet in place. The other woman began to stumble toward Kailas. When the man started to follow, Katara swung her arm in a wide curve, the sphere of water elongating into a whip and striking him hard across the face.

"I said that's enough!" she snapped. "Take your buddies and get out of here!" The men opened their mouths to object, but two bursts of wind knocked them from their feet. As soon as they hit the ground, landing on their rears, Toph jerked her hands up and closed them into fists. Stone shot up from the ground and covered the men to their necks, holding them tight despite their struggles. Toph grinned, putting her hands on her hips.

"We could have gotten them without you, Twinkle Toes," she said. "But thanks anyway." Aang jerked his chin up and down in a swift nod, striding past Katara and Toph.

"Whatever reason you've got, I don't want to hear it," he said, voice hard. "There's no excuse for what you've done here today." He went to Hova and Kailas, kneeling down. He put a hand on each of their shoulders. Only Hova looked up, face streaked with tears. Kailas turned an unfocused gaze to look at Aang from the corner of her eye.

"Come on," Aang said in a softer tone. "Let's get you healed."

"Can't pay for it," Kailas muttered, blinking slowly. Katara crouched down beside Aang, brushing aside a blood-matted lock of Kailas' hair.

"It's fine," she said. "Come on. Toph—can you help her?" Toph nodded, and when Aang moved away, she crouched down, carefully lifting Kailas' left arm to lie over her shoulders. With Hova bracing Kailas' shoulders, Toph helped Kailas to her feet. She felt the woman's head hang forward, hitching Kailas' arm higher around her shoulders and wrapping her free arm around the woman's waist to keep her from falling. Toph nodded, and Katara's familiar footsteps soon moved before the two women. She began to walk slowly forward, and Toph followed, letting Kailas' feet shuffle against the ground. Hova lingered for a moment with Aang, watching the crowd part to let the trio pass by.

"You can come too," Aang murmured, laying a hand on her shoulder. She nodded and swallowed, standing completely still before turning and wrapping her arms around the man in a tight hug.

"Thank you," she whispered. He smiled and patted her back, gently lifting away her arms and turning her about. He nudged her along in the direction the three women had gone, and she hurried after them. The young man stood and watched them before turning his gaze on the people in the crowd. There was disgust and shock in all their faces, and they all were turned toward the three men on the ground. Aang jogged away, never glancing back.

----------

Hova worried the loose strings of her sleeves until they broke, one by one. Katara, hands gloved with water, let her touch linger over each wound. The scrapes healed over in moments, bruises fading away. She pressed her thumb against the cut on Kailas' lip and a fingertip against the bridge of her nose. When she came to the woman's bared right arm, Katara blinked slowly.

"It's just one break," she said quietly. "It'll be all right, as long as you let it rest for a while." The water extended from her hands, wrapping around Kailas' slightly bent forearm. Kailas sat without speaking, propped against a wall. Aang stood a few feet away, pacing back and forth with his arms crossed over his chest. Toph knelt beside Hova, one hand on the smaller woman's shoulder.

"You can relax," Toph said. "Katara knows what she's doing." Under her hand, Toph felt the jerk of Hova's nod, but the woman's faint trembling did not cease.

"Why did they attack you?" Aang asked, speaking in a rush.

"Stop, Aang," Katara murmured. "Now's not the time." The man sighed and resumed his pacing, glaring at the floor.

"I'm amazed that none of you seem to care that you're helping a firebender," Kailas said. "Or a woman who's with another woman." Katara glanced up, but the woman's eyes were half-closed and fixated on the faintly glowing water around her arm.

"You never did any firebending before," Katara said. She smiled, chuckling. "And if you thought that you and Hova were some kind of secret, you're not nearly as smart as I thought you might have been." Hova snorted and started to laugh into her hands, the tension Toph felt in her shoulders vanishing.

"Thank you, Katara." Katara looked up to find Kailas' open gold eyes upon her. "And thank you, Toph, and Aang." As Katara pulled away her hands, Kailas touched her forearm, fingers passing over where the bend had been. "I guess I'm not good enough at firebending either." Hova rose suddenly to her feet, walking to Kailas and crouching back down. She knocked her knuckles against Kailas' forehead with a small smile.

"I'm never cold at night, and I'm not going hungry," she said. "And you make me happy. I call that good enough." Kailas' smile slowly returned, her eyes closing partway. She took Hova's hand with her left, kissing Hova's palm. Aang, Toph, and Katara smiled at the women. As Hova helped Kailas to her feet, Katara's smile faded and her eyes fell to the floor.

"Thank you, again," Hova said, bowing at the waist. "I guess we're spending the day at home now."

"Toph?" Katara asked suddenly. "Could you walk them home?" Neither the two women nor Toph could protest before Katara spoke again and said, "I just want to make sure nothing else happens." Her eyes remained on the floor even as she rose to her feet.

"I could go," Aang said.

"It's all right," Toph said in return. "I'll go." The three women paused awkwardly before Hova and Kailas made their way to the front door, Toph following close behind. After a moment, Katara went to the door, stopping when Toph turned at her approaching footsteps.

"Can we still talk when I get back?" Toph asked. Katara's hand moved toward Toph's, but jerked back to rise and touch the pendant. She swallowed hard and sighed, her eyes returning to the floor.

"I don't know," she murmured. "Please be safe." Toph hesitated before nodding and turning back to the open door. As she, Hova, and Kailas strode away from Katara's home, Aang walked to stand behind Katara. He put one hand on her shoulder, and she turned to lay her head against his chest. Aang did not ask why Katara's shoulders trembled so violently, or why her tears were enough to soak through his shirt to his chest. He simply held her close, kissing her hair and wiping away her tears when she let him.

—_to be continued—_


	6. Chapter 6

Ye Chang Meng Duo: Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Nickelodeon (and all others) own "Avatar: The Last Airbender." I own whatever I write/create. Don't steal and don't sue.

A/N: This is a collaborative work between myself, and the artist Mag (fortheloveofpizza. Please make sure to visit Mag's deviantArt page for artwork that is, not so much inspired by this story, as the story is inspired by Mag's exceptional imagination. The title is Chinese for, "The longer the night lasts, the more our dreams will be."

When she was confused, Toph would turn her focus onto her feet. She would dig her toes into the dirt, knowing with certainty that her earthbending and her sight had not changed. As she walked alongside Kailas and Hova, she did so with a heavy gait, barely giving her attention to the strong echoes that returned to her. She turned her head when a small hand touched her elbow, knowing that it was Hova by the callused skin of her fingertips.

"Thank you, again, Toph," the woman said. She giggled weakly, and Toph could see that her other hand was clasped tightly in one of Kailas' hands. "I guess this is where I say that I was really scared."

"Anyone would have been scared," Toph replied. "How long were you standing with your feet stuck like that?"

"Not too long," Hova said, voice quiet. "I wouldn't have been so scared if they hadn't been benders." Toph grinned and lifted her arm, reaching over Hova to pat Kailas on the back.

"You're lucky you've got a bender yourself," she said. "A pretty good one, too."

"I'd ask if one of those rocks hit you in the head, miss earthbender, but I'm not looking to get hit again," Kailas said with a somber chuckle. Toph felt the echoes in the ground and saw the way Kailas' head tilted down, turned away from Hova. She flicked Kailas in the back of the head, grinning crookedly when Kailas turned back around.

"You did fine," Toph said. "You're not a certain crazy ex-princess, but you held your ground." She smiled all the more broadly at the snort of laughter Hova produced.

"Let's not bring up the lunatic," Kailas murmured. Toph sighed, even as Hova grew completely silent.

"We all hated Azula," Toph said. "I even fought her a few times. No reason not to crack a few jokes about her."

"I'd still rather not think of a seven-year-old girl burning firebender girls and women because they had the same birth date as her." Toph, even as she turned her head away, could not help but feel the new echo as they walked on. Kailas reached up to lay a hand on her chest, fingers coming to stop on a place between her breasts. Silence, interrupted only by their footsteps, reigned for many long moments.

"Sorry," Toph muttered. Kailas drew in a breath and let it out in a chuckle.

"It's all right," she said. "I'm just in a bit of a bad mood." Toph reached out to flick the woman in the forehead, grinning at the laughing mutter of pain that came afterward.

"I wonder why," Hova said, nudging Kailas' shoulder with her knuckles as they all laughed.

"You really did all right," Toph said after the laughter had ceased. "You just didn't have a lot of focus."

"And you can tell all of this by coming by after my arm was broken?" Kailas inquired.

"You were fighting two earthbenders who were boxing you in and trying to get to Hova at the same time," Toph replied. "With some training, you'd probably have been able to get away with no broken bones and a couple of crispy idiots."

"What, would you train her?" Hova asked, laughing as she leaned her head against Kailas' arm.

"You could always ask Twinkle Toes," Toph said, shrugging her shoulders. "He knows how to firebend, at least. He'd probably teach you if you ask him."

"So charitable," Kailas chuckled. "I wouldn't have thought someone who prefers waterbenders to be this friendly to a firebender." Toph did not turn her head, though she sensed the shudder in Hova's steps as she lifted her head and looked up at Kailas. Before another comment could be made, Toph stopped, reaching out an arm to bring the two other women to a halt.

"Is your home near here?" she asked.

"Yes," Hova said slowly. "Just at the top of this hill, by the forest. Why?"

"There are two people standing by a small wooden house," Toph said, head tilted toward her feet. She crouched down, patting the hard dirt with her hands. "A girl and a man." She paused, digging her fingers into the dirt as her eyes closed in concentration. "And the girl is playing with your raccoon-dog." Kailas and Hova looked at each other as Toph straightened, unsure of what to say. Toph strode forward, hands open and loose at her sides, and Kailas and Hova followed behind her.

Fai, at the sound of shuffling footsteps, turned away from the young girl who had been scratching behind his ears. He charged at Hova, barking and yapping, to sniff at her feet and paw at her toes. She laughed and crouched down, picking up the fluffy animal and hugging him tightly. Toph and Kailas stood side by side, facing the broad-shoulder man as the girl moved to clutch at his leg. The man gave Kailas a quick up and down glance, and she did not move despite the frown on his face.

"You got healed up," he said.

"Our resident waterbender saw to that," Kailas replied. The silence that followed would have made Toph settle into her stance, were it not for the girl's nervous shuffling sending out waves that let her see how the man stared at the ground.

"That was really mean of them," the girl said suddenly, voice quiet. The man looked down at the girl as she moved away from his leg. When she looked up at him, he patted her on the back and nodded slightly. She moved forward, clasping her hands nervously in front of her. "Everyone thought it was mean."

"Everyone," the man said, nodding. The girl smiled, all the more emboldened by the sheepish smile on the man's face.

"But—but I thought you were really brave!" she said. She darted forward, careful to take Kailas' left hand with her small ones. "How come you never did any firebending before? It would have been really neat to watch you do that!" She blushed vivid crimson, dropping her gaze to the ground. "I mean—you're both really good at playing music and dancing, too." Kailas slowly crouched down on one knee, and the girl peeked up at her from beneath her neatly trimmed black bangs.

"Thank you," Kailas said, smiling. "Maybe we could add firebending when my arm is better."

"Firebending _is_ a popular display now that the war is over," Toph said. "I've fought in a lot of tournaments where the opening acts were firebenders." She felt the man's nods in faint pulses through the dirt, and grinned broadly.

"We'd all be interested in seeing that," the man murmured. "But—you'd better not waste that free healing Miss Katara gave you."

"I'm not going to let her hurt herself," Hova laughed. "No getting into any more fights." The man nodded again, moving to pat Hova on the shoulder.

"You've got a good woman here," he said. "So you take care of her." When he held up a bag, one that Toph had not felt clearly before, Fai leapt out of Hova's weakened grip. Kailas turned away from the girl, staring at the bag, which bulged and clinked with metal.

"No one likes losing their day's money," the man said gruffly. He put the bag in Hova's hands, closing her fingers around it.

"We can't take this," Hova protested.

"It's not pity money," the man replied firmly. "It's fair payment for what you would have done today if that scum hadn't attacked you." Hova looked from the bag to the man, her eyes soon turning toward Kailas, wide and confused. Kailas could only stare at the bag, eyes open completely. The little girl tugged at her hand gently.

"I put something in there too," she said, smiling brightly. "I was going to come today." Toph resisted the urge to stride over and slap her hand against the back of both Kailas and Hova's heads, crossing her arms and drumming her fingers against her skin. After a time, Kailas chuckled quietly.

"I suppose it would be rude not to accept, then," she murmured. The little girl's smile turned to a massive grin, even as Kailas rose to her feet and gently took her hand away. Hova blinked when Kailas took the bag from her hands, only able to mimic Kailas slowly when the other woman bowed at the waist to the man.

"Thank you," Kailas said. "We'll make good use of this today." The man returned the bow, and the little girl did the same in a clumsy rush. They all straightened, and the girl smiled and laughed. She moved forward and took one of Hova's hands, reaching to close her small, chubby fingers around the edge of Kailas' shirt.

"Get better soon, okay?" she said, tugging at Kailas' shirt. She turned her eyes up to Hova, still grinning despite the wideness of Hova's eyes. "It's boring without you." Hova blinked and slowly crouched down to look at the little girl's brown eyes. She smoothed down a standing lock of the girl's hair, managing to smile after a moment of broken laughter.

"Thank you," Hova said, patting the girl's hand. "We'll come back as soon as we can." The girl gave a small cheer, wrapping her arms around Hova's neck in a brief hug. She darted back to give her hand to the man, waving as the man bowed again. Kailas returned the bow and Hova the wave, and the girl and the man started away. Toph watched them go, letting her focus shift only when she heard the clink of metal coins.

"It's more than what you'd get in one day, isn't it?" she asked. Kailas chuckled and Hova sighed.

"Oh, it's enough to pay for our meals for today," Kailas replied. "And there's enough left over to properly pay your waterbender for healing me." Toph turned on heel, face toward Kailas' voice.

"Why do you keep calling Katara mine?" she asked, frowning.

"By the way she watches you, and the way you've always got one ear turned toward her, it certainly seems like there's something between you," Kailas murmured.

"There's nothing going on," Toph snapped.

"Not with the Avatar around," Kailas said.

"Let's _not_ bring up Aang." The statement was punctuated with a sharp kick to the ground. Fai yelped as a rock shot up from the dirt at the forest's edge, whining when it crashed against a tree hard enough to splinter the bark. Hova squeezed Kailas' hand firmly before walking to Toph and putting a hand on her shoulder.

"That just kind of proved it," she said. Toph did not reply, her eyes aimed toward the trees and her arms still crossed over her chest. Hova sighed, giving Kailas a frown over her shoulder as she said, "I'm sorry Kailas is a brat. But—have you at least said anything to Katara?"

"It's not like I can just flat out say anything," Toph muttered. "She's—she's engaged to Aang, and she said that I made her uncomfortable—and now I don't even know if we're going to talk at all, after this."

"After what happened with _us_?" Hova asked. She frowned, reaching up and striking Toph's temple sharply with her knuckles. "We're not you! Just because something happened to us doesn't mean that anything would happen to you two!"

"She still seemed upset by what happened when we left," Toph replied, turning to frown at Hova's voice. "I mean, I still want to talk to her, but she said that she didn't know if we would talk, and now Aang's with her again." She scowled and sighed, rubbing at the sting Hova's knuckles left behind.

"I don't see why you still can't talk to her," Hova said. "Doesn't she feel the same way about you?"

"I don't _know_," Toph said, her voice grinding in a snarl. "She kissed me a long time ago, and now I don't know if she cares about me or not!" She sighed, rubbing the heels of her palms against her eyes. Time passed, and the three women spent it in silence. When the time grew too long, Toph sighed once more and lifted her head.

"This isn't a very earthbender way of dealing with this," she murmured.

"No, it's not," Kailas agreed. She shrugged at the narrow-eyed glance Hova gave her.

"I just don't want to hurt Katara," Toph said quietly. "And Aang's an old friend—I don't want to hurt him either. But I want Katara with me."

"Will you please tell us why you're saying all of this to _us_?" Kailas asked. Toph turned her head, neither smiling nor frowning. "Your waterbender has never told us how you were indecisive. She told us how you made your own choices and acted strongly enough to make those choices work. And she told us more, and almost always with a smile."

"Then why are you telling me this?" Toph asked. Kailas sighed, gesturing toward the city.

"Forget about us, and forget about the Avatar," she said. "Go make a choice." Toph let out a slow breath, but smiled.

"Shoving me into a cave of wolf bats, huh?" she asked. "No more friendly advice?" Kailas laughed, her chuckles weak.

"Oh, not when I'm about to pass out like this," she said. Hova rushed away from Toph's side, steadying Kailas before she swayed too far in any direction. She nodded at Toph, unable to bow with Kailas leaning so heavily on her shoulder.

"Thank you for bringing us home," she said, smiling. "And—I agree with Kailas. It'd be better to just go and do something, wouldn't it?" Toph nodded slowly, a small smile on her face. Hova gave her a final parting nod, turning to lead a mumbling Kailas into the small wooden house. Toph turned about, waiting until she sensed the solid echo of Kailas all but falling to the floor, and chuckling at the fainter echoes of Hova quickly kneeling down beside the other woman.

She began to make her way back toward the city, walking down the hard dirt slope of the hill with a sure-footed stride. With her head held high, she kept to the streets on the edge of the city, hearing the ambient buzz of activity grow by the minute. In her mind, scenarios did not play out, and words did not lay themselves out in a script. Toph had only an intention, and did not think of what to say, or when to act in one way or another. Over the years, she had learned with her second life as the Blind Bandit that such planning only worked when everyone else made similar plans.

There was no assumption on her part that Katara had created any such scripts or prepared her actions. The memory of Katara taking hold of her pendant once again kept Toph from thinking of such things. She dwelt only on Aang's departure from Katara's home, and beginning the conversation that she and Katara had agreed to have.

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"Are you all right now?" Aang asked, one arm around Katara's waist and the hand of the other holding one hand of hers. The woman sniffed and nodded, her free hand wiping away the wet trails on her cheeks. They sat together at the table, Katara leaning against Aang with her head on his shoulder. She sighed and put her hand on the table, fingers trembling until she calmed enough to still them.

"What happened?" Aang asked, his voice as gentle as the grip he had on her hand. Katara stared at the table, head shaking slowly from side to side.

"I'm not sure," she replied. "It was just after you left me—I was coming back here, and something had already started." She let out another sigh, shoulders quaking with her shuddering breath. "I'm so glad that Toph showed up when she did." She glanced up at him for a moment before lifting her head and looking at the table. "And I'm glad that you were on patrol this morning."

"So am I," Aang said with a nod. They sat in silence, his fingers, roughened slightly by stone and always warm, absently stroking the lines in her palm. Katara was neither stiff nor relaxed, simply sitting with his other hand on her hip and thinking, distantly, that Toph's fingers were rougher than Aang's. They both jumped when a sharp knock sounded through the wood of the front doorframe. Aang rose to his feet without his bending, walking to the door and sliding it open slowly.

"Hey, Twinkle Toes," Toph said, holding up a hand and grinning crookedly. Aang sighed and found it in himself to smile as he stepped aside.

"Hey, Toph," he replied. "Did you get them home?"

"Yep," Toph said, walking past the man and going toward the table. "They're all right." She paused when she stood at one side of the table, just to Katara's right. "Are you all right, Katara?" The way Katara started made Toph turn her head. The strong vibration that traveled up her legs showed her that Katara's hands were nowhere near the pendant of her necklace.

"I'm—I'm all right," Katara said, nodding. She looked up to see Toph smiling at her. The smile remained as Toph sat down and put a hand over Katara's. At the touch of Toph's rough hands, the scrape of her calluses creating a pleasant hum on her skin, Katara felt her throat grow tight and her face grow hot.

"I'm glad," Toph murmured. Her smile lost some of its gentleness and warmth when Aang strode away from the door and Katara pulled her hand back into her lap. She turned her head slightly, eyes aimed between Katara and Aang as the man sat down on Katara's left, at the opposite side of the table.

"Do you know why those men attacked Kailas and Hova?" Aang asked. Toph shrugged her shoulders.

"I wasn't there before Katara was," she said. "It probably just had something to do with them being together." She smiled at Katara, reaching to touch the other woman's knee when she felt her quaking through the floor. When Katara shifted, looking up, Toph said, "But those guys weren't how everyone feels. There were a couple of people waiting for Kailas and Hova when we got there, and they were pretty mad."

"That Kailas and Hova were hurt?" Katara asked. Toph nodded, grinning crookedly as Katara's stiffness began to fade.

"Yep," Toph said. "This man and a little girl were there to make sure that they were both okay, and to give them the money they would have gotten." Aang smiled and chuckled, patting Katara's shoulder.

"You picked a good town to live in," he said. Katara nodded without speaking, the weight of both Toph and Aang's hands on her. She reached first to lay a hand over Toph's, and then to press her fingers to Aang's hand a few moments later.

"I'm just happy everything's all right now," she said quietly. The crack of thunder that followed her words made them all jump away from one another, turning to look out the nearest window or focusing on the ground beyond the walls. Before the echo of the thunder had faded, the rain began to fall, roaring in the distance as it splashed down on rooftops and stone pathways.

"Everything except the weather," Katara said with a laugh. Aang let out a strangled breath before beginning to laugh and shake his head.

"Oh, wow," he said, letting his words drawl and stretch. "Every first storm of spring, I freak out over the sound of thunder." He gave Toph and Katara a weak grin, twisting his arm to put a hand on his back and his fingers on the starburst scar that broke the line of his tattoos. "My back twitches every time lightning strikes."

"I never liked lightning, but I love the rain," Katara said, smiling. "I guess that's just me being a waterbender." She looked at Toph, whose head was tilted down toward the floor. Aang's gaze followed hers, and he put a grin on his face and lightness in his voice.

"Do you like storms, Toph?" he asked.

"I like them," she replied, her voice soft. "Even if things get blurry from mud later, I really like rainstorms." She smiled, and Katara's face grew hot once more at the sight of simple, honest pleasure on Toph's face. "I can _see_ everything." She turned her head, and Katara smiled at the eyes aimed toward her. Toph's smile soon became a grin, and she let her head turn to face between Aang and Katara.

"Didn't you and Katara waterbend all the rain in a storm once?" she asked. "Against a whole regiment of Fire Nation soldiers? That's what Sokka kept shouting and cheering about, anyway."

"We _did_, didn't we?" Aang asked, his chest puffing out with pride and a real grin curling his lips. "I remember that. It was a little while after we escaped Ba Sing Se, wasn't it?"

"Where were you, Toph?" Katara asked.

"I was there," Toph replied. "I just couldn't see anything because the ground was already mud." She put one elbow on the table, cupping her chin in her hand. "Come on—tell me about it! You know how much I like old war stories." Aang grinned and immediately began to recount the tale, embellishing his words with broad, sweeping gestures that Toph could see clearly with the rain's constant vibrations carrying images to her. Most of her focus remained on Katara, and how the woman's shoulders were finally free of tension. What gave Toph's smile the most brightness, however, was neither the story Aang told nor the relaxed way Katara sat. It was the simple fact that, for the hours that they passed telling stories, Katara's hands never once moved toward her necklace.

----------

When night had fallen and given the world a second level of darkness beyond the continuing storm, Aang stood up, stretched with a groan, and bade the two women a good night. Katara watched him run as quickly as he could through the rain from the doorway, Toph snickering at his fleet-footed dash where she sat on the floor. Aang turned a corner in the distance and went out of sight, and Katara slid the door shut.

"I'll take you back to where you're staying," she said, turning and walking swiftly to the other side of the room. "I'll bend the rain so we don't get soaked." She opened the door to the courtyard, barely waiting for Toph to stand up before walking outside.

"Katara, hang on!" Katara stopped when Toph's hand came to rest lightly on her shoulder. She wondered for a moment how quickly Toph must have run to catch up before she had taken ten fast steps from the door. As she thought, her hand rose to touch Toph's fingertips.

"You still want to talk, huh?" she asked.

"Not really." Katara began to turn, only guided by the gentle pressure that Toph gave to her shoulder. Before she could speak, Toph's hand left her shoulder, and took an equally gentle hold of her chin. Before she could ask a question, Toph leaned forward and pressed her lips against Katara's in a kiss almost identical to the one they had shared seven years ago. Toph lingered a moment or two longer, and it was stronger than the feather-light brush of skin against skin Katara had begun, but they both still found themselves thinking of the afternoon they had spent together. Toph smiled when she pulled back, letting her thumb rise up to touch Katara's lower lip.

"What are you doing?" Katara's voice started with a waver, but grew stronger, louder, and sharper as she continued. "What are you _doing_? What makes you think—stop that!" She shoved Toph's hand away and stepped backward. Toph's smile vanished, eyes widening in confusion at the way Katara's hands bunched into fists at her sides and her shoulders stiffened.

"What makes you think you can just—I'm _engaged_, Toph!" Katara snapped. "I'm engaged to Aang! You can't just—just do something like that!"

"That's what you did to me," Toph replied, her voice low.

"Oh, and seven years later you finally _see_ what it actually was?" She waved her hand in a sharp gesture, and Toph could not help but wince at the sound of a shattering urn and the splash of water as it fell against the courtyard stones. She reached out and caught Katara's hand before the woman could make another gesture, but Katara jerked her hand free before Toph's grip could tighten.

"_This_ is what I wanted to talk about!" Toph said in protest. "Why are you getting so upset when we agreed to talk?"

"Because you _kissing_ me _isn't_ talking!" Katara shouted. "It's you acting like you finally understand everything that happened!"

"I do understand!" Toph replied.

"No, you don't!" The vibrations that traveled up Toph's legs were stronger than ever, and the faint crunching sounds she heard told her that the rain was freezing into pellets of ice when they came close to Katara. "You don't understand at all!"

"What don't I understand?" Toph demanded, snatching Katara's hands and holding them tight when Katara tried to wrench them away.

"You turned away from me, Toph!" Katara said. "I tried to show you how I feel about you, and you turned away from me! You never said anything about it, and then you left for seven years without sending me a single message! Not even a friendly 'hi, I hope you're doing well!' You don't understand how much that _hurt_!" She tried, once more, to pull her hands out of Toph's grasp, and succeeded. Toph's hands fell, heavily, to her side, and Katara backed away, wrapping her arms around herself.

"You don't understand how much that hurt, and you expect me to forget everything that's happened since then just because you're here now?" Katara asked. Her voice had softened, but an edge remained. "You _left_ _me_, and I'm engaged to Aang. He loves me."

"Do you love him?" Toph asked in turn.

"Yes—I care about him." Toph's shoulders slumped, but she squared them after a moment.

"Do you _love_ him?" she repeated. "Do you care about him more than you care about me?"

"That's a cruel thing to ask, and you know it," Katara hissed.

"Look, I like Aang a lot!" Toph snapped. "He's practically my goofy little brother! But I'm not going to apologize for wanting you!" She sighed, and lifted her hands, palms up and out to Katara. "I'm really, really sorry that I hurt you, Katara. I never meant to do that—I didn't know what was happening. I didn't really _get_ anything. I mean, I was twelve." She chuckled weakly, and sighed again when Katara did not reply. She stepped forward slowly and put her hands on Katara's shoulders. Katara neither flinched nor tried to move away. The rain gave Toph the sight of Katara looking up at her, and she spoke though her throat was painfully tight.

"I understand things a little better now," she said. "I understand that I hurt you, and I'm sorry that I did. And I understand that you care about Aang, and that you don't want to hurt him. But what I understand best is that I love you, and I won't ever say I'm sorry for that." She closed her eyes, wanting to pull Katara into her arms. She swallowed, forcing back the urge.

"All I want to know is if you love me, too," she murmured. "Can't you give me that answer?" Katara did not speak, instead lifting her hand after a moment and pressing it to Toph's cheek. Toph leaned into the touch, but Katara remained silent for another long moment.

"I need you to leave," she said. She pressed her thumb over Toph's lips before the other woman could speak. "I need you to leave. I can't give you an answer right now. Please leave." She took away her hand, stepping around Toph and walking back into the house. The door slid shut before Toph could protest, and she let her focus linger on the doorway for many minutes before moving. She walked out of the courtyard, barely noticing as the rain soaked through her clothes.

Toph went inside the small stone house, closing the door behind her and sitting down on the floor. She dripped rainwater onto the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. With a heavy, wavering sigh, she pressed her forehead to her knees, wishing, for once, that she could focus on nothing, and darken the world as if she could see and had simply closed her eyes. She kept her mind away from the door, dwelling on the vibrations that ricocheted from a far corner. The rain made the corner vividly clear in her mind, and she stared at that clarity with all the concentration she could muster.

She gripped her legs all the tighter when her focus began to falter. The thought to stand back up and rush back to Katara came at her every few minutes, as did the urge to touch the other woman's face and see if there were tears, a scowl, or a smile there. Her hands tightened until she knew by their stiffness and pain that her knuckles were white. Still, Toph remained sitting, dripping, on the ground. The rain continued to fall hard and fast enough to create a rushing sound on the roof, and perpetual splashing as the water rolled and hit the ground. Toph pressed her hands against her ears until her temples throbbed, barely able to breathe with how tightly she had folded her torso against her knees.

With her mind so unfocused and her hands over her ears, Toph barely heard the soft knock at the door. Her head jerked up, hands rising. Another knock sounded through the door, and Toph stood up. She went, hesitating on the first step, to the door. As she had known from the tremors that touched her feet, Katara stood just past the threshold, as soaked as Toph. Her head was tilted to look up at Toph, her hands at her side. Toph did not know what to feel, sensing Katara's shoulders without tension as they had so often been before. She opened her mouth and did not know what she meant to say.

Katara put her fingers over Toph's lips, and Toph closed her mouth. Katara's touch was slow and gentle as it moved across Toph's lips and came to rest on the woman's cheek. Her other hand rose to the other side of Toph's face. As she stood up on her toes, Toph moved to meet her. They kissed, Toph wrapping one arm around Katara's waist and letting the fingers of her other hand slide into the woman's long, wet hair and cradle the back of her head.

It was only the need for breath, brought both by time and by the warmth that had settled so firmly in their chests, that made Katara and Toph part. They felt each other's breath on their cheeks, smiling at the sensation and at one another a moment before kissing once more. Katara put her arms around Toph's neck, and Toph pulled her all the closer. It was with another gasp that they parted, and Katara pressed her cheek against Toph's, hugging her tightly.

"I still love you," she murmured in Toph's ear. "I do." Toph smiled, and felt Katara's smile when she kissed it. They held each other close until Katara giggled at the cold tickle of her wet hair on her neck.

"Let—let me bend the water out of your clothes before I go," she said. Toph chuckled and leaned to rest her forehead against Katara's.

"I'll let you waterbend, but I'm not letting you go back out in the rain," she said. "Just stay here tonight." She laughed aloud at Katara's blush, radiating heat strongly enough for her to feel near the tip of her nose, and said, "I want to be able to go to sleep holding you—that's all." She grinned crookedly. "And to kiss you more." Katara chuckled, and nodded her head against Toph's. They stood still a moment before kissing once more.

"I love you," Toph murmured when they parted. She hugged Katara close, smiling at the warmth of the woman in her arms. Katara smiled as well, nuzzling her face against Toph's neck.

"I love you, too."

—_to be continued—_


	7. Chapter 7

Ye Chang Meng Duo: Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Nickelodeon (and all others) own "Avatar: The Last Airbender." I own whatever I write/create. Don't steal and don't sue.

A/N: This is a collaborative work between myself, and the artist Mag (fortheloveofpizza. Please make sure to visit Mag's deviantArt page for artwork that is, not so much inspired by this story, as the story is inspired by Mag's exceptional imagination. The title is Chinese for, "The longer the night lasts, the more our dreams will be."

Katara woke with her face nuzzled against Toph's neck, and with Toph's arms wrapped around her. She took a deep breath, sighing when the muscles in her back twitched from spending the night partially upright. Toph sat, still asleep, propped against a wall, Katara sitting in her lap and leaning against her chest. At Katara's shifting, Toph stirred, eyes opening slowly.

"I'm going to make you start sleeping in a bed," Katara mumbled, lips half pressed to Toph's neck.

"Too soft," Toph replied. "Can't see anything in a fluffy old bed." She grinned at the smile she felt against her neck, and at Katara's quiet chuckles. One hand rose from its place resting on Katara's shoulder to touch her hair, and Toph kissed Katara's forehead. "Morning, Katara."

"Good morning, Toph," Katara replied. She stretched as best she could, folded in Toph's lap as she was. The fact that Toph did not lift her arms from Katara did not help the other woman, and Katara snorted with laughter. "I don't get to move, do I?"

"Not a chance, Sugar Queen," Toph said. Katara glanced up, giggling at the grin on Toph's face. She turned to look at the window and smiled at the yellow glow of sunlight that suffused the paper.

"It looks like going to be a beautiful day," she said. "Sunny, and warm." She gave another half-stretch, burrowing her head under Toph's chin. Toph did little but let her hands idly stroke at Katara's back, and at the soft lengths of her hair. She drew in a deep breath and let it out in a long, low sigh. Katara lifted her head from beneath Toph's chin, looking up to see that Toph's eyes had closed.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Toph shook her head slowly, opening her eyes as she lifted one hand. Her fingertips touched Katara's face, her thumb passing slowly over Katara's lips. She followed the curve of Katara's cheek, her touch so light and gentle Katara could not feel the roughness of her calluses. Her fingers curled as she brought her hand down, her knuckles running along the rise of the other woman's collarbones. Her hand soon rose again, tipping Katara's chin up. Toph let her head tilt forward slowly, moving until she felt their foreheads touch.

"I wouldn't have cared if it was still raining," she murmured. She began to move forward again, but paused. Her thumbs touched just above Katara's eyes, and pressed lightly on her eyelids when they closed. Unable to see, Katara took a quick breath when Toph's lips brushed against hers. Toph chuckled, but did not take away her hands. Katara's hands moved to hold Toph's wrists, laughing in giggles that made Toph grin all the more.

"What are you doing?" Katara asked.

"Trying to give you a 'good morning' kiss," Toph replied, patting the sides of Katara's head with her fingers.

"I can't see while you're doing it?" Katara asked, still giggling. Toph smiled though Katara did not see it, placing a kiss on the other woman's forehead.

"I'm trying to show you how it feels to me," she said. Katara grew still, eyelashes fluttering against Toph's thumbs in a blink that could be neither started nor finished. Toph stroked Katara's temples lightly enough to tickle and renew the woman's giggles. "So quit jumping around for a second, already!" Katara nodded slightly, and her giggling and shifting about came to a stop.

It was Toph's breathing that she first noticed. The sound had lulled her the night before, as had the touch of the hands that kept the daylight from her eyes. When Toph kissed her once more, Katara returned it, smiling when they parted. She tightened her grip when Toph began to move her hands away. With Toph's thumbs still over her eyes, Katara carefully reached out to touch Toph's face.

She chuckled at the arch her fingertips could follow in Toph's eyebrow, careful to keep her touch light as her hands curved around Toph's eyes. The skin under Toph's eyes was soft, and Katara could feel the brush of her eyelashes when she blinked. Her fingers came together over Toph's cheeks, one hand continuing on to caress Toph's chin and the other coming to rest on the woman's lips. Katara sat without moving for a long moment, breathing slowly and feeling Toph's breath wash over her fingers in time with her own. When the moment passed, Toph lifted her hands from Katara's eyes.

"Wow," Katara whispered. She opened her eyes, blinking at the return of light. She looked at Toph, unsure of why a blush spread on her cheeks when she saw Toph's small smile. "That's what it's like when you—look at my face?"

"Probably not exactly the same," Toph said. "But probably something like it, too." She pressed another kiss to Katara's lips. Neither felt the urge to part, Katara's hands finding comfortable places on Toph's shoulders, and Toph's fingers sliding into Katara's hair. It was many minutes before they separated, and only because of the audible rumbling of their stomachs. The two women pulled away from one another, Katara coughing to cover her laughter as Toph groaned and let her head fall against the wall.

"Why do our stomachs keep interrupting us?" Toph asked.

"Because the spirits cursed us with large, hard-to-fill bellies," Katara remarked. "Come on—I'm sure there's something left over from what—what we ate last night." Toph was still for a moment before taking her hands from Katara's hair and slapping her palms against the ground. Stone rose up beneath them, rising high enough for Katara to stand when she slid from Toph's lap. Toph swung her legs from the stone platform and stood, striking the stone with her knuckles to level it once more.

"It _is_ a beautiful day," Katara said. She had opened the door and stood on its threshold. The sun, far above the eastern horizon, shone bright and warm enough to dry the muddy ground. Katara smiled both at the sight of the day and at the weight of Toph's hand on her shoulder when the other woman placed it there. She touched Toph's hand, looking up at the other woman. Toph's expression was stern, a frown on her face.

"Katara, we have to talk to Aang," she said. Her voice did not waver, and Katara bit her lower lip at its strength.

"I—know," Katara said in turn. "It's just—what do we say?"

"We tell him the truth," Toph replied. "That's all we _can_ say."

"I don't want to hurt him, Toph," Katara sighed. Toph closed her eyes and let her hand slide from Katara's shoulder. Her fingers came to a stop in the small of Katara's back, her head tilting forward as she took in a slow breath.

"I don't want to hurt him either," she said. "But we still need to tell him. It'll hurt him more if we don't." With her hand on Katara's spine, Toph could feel the woman's slow, single nod. She opened her eyes, but pinched them shut once more at the painful groaning of her stomach. In her fingers, she could all but feel a similar rumble vibrating from Katara's belly.

"Can we have something to eat first?" Katara asked with a soft laugh. Toph nodded, laying her arm over Katara's shoulders and guiding her over the threshold. They made their way down the gently sloping hill, silent as they took one another's hand. As they walked into the courtyard, Toph squeezed Katara's hand, smiling as the other woman stopped. Katara laughed as Toph gently tugged her closer, and wrapped her arms around Toph's waist. Toph's free hand took hold of her chin, her head tilting forward until their foreheads touched.

"Are you going to do this every time you want to kiss me?" Katara asked.

"I could always try to kiss you without knowing what I'm trying to kiss," Toph replied. Katara laughed and tipped her head up to kiss Toph for a brief moment.

"Katara!" Aang's shout came from just inside the house, and Katara jerked back too quickly for Toph to keep hold of her. Through the windows, she could see the bright orange-red of the man's shirt as he rounded a corner. His head turned, and he grinned at Katara before vaulting through the largest window.

"Katara, Toph—you'll never guess what I just got!" he said.

"Aang, we need to talk," Toph said in turn.

"There's no time for that right now!" He laughed and held out a rolled up sheet of paper. "Look—it's from Kyoshi Island!"

"From—from my brother and Suki?" Katara asked. She took the paper and unrolled it, chuckling quietly at the neat script. "Suki must have written this."

"Momo just got back with their answer!" Aang said, all but cheering and bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I sent them a letter asking if they could come to visit! They're going to come—they want me and Appa to pick them up as soon as we can!"

"Aang, wait a second!" Toph said, holding up her hands as her brows furrowed.

"We can talk later!" Aang replied. "We should all be back by sundown!" He took Katara's hands in his, grinning broadly. Toph turned her head toward the other woman, and Katara did not look up in return.

"We'll talk then," she murmured. She smiled up at Aang and nodded once. He gave a small cheer and kissed her lips. He turned on heel before she had a chance to wonder if she should return the kiss, waving over his shoulder as he rushed toward the edge of the courtyard. A gust of air aided his jump, and he landed on the roof.

"Don't get into any fights when I'm gone!" he said. Katara waved a hand at him, and he mirrored the gesture with another grin. He charged away after a moment, leaping from the roof. Toph could not keep the frown from her face as she watched Katara's arm slowly return to her side.

"Why didn't you make him just _stop_ for a second?" she asked. "He at least would have listened to you." Katara turned as slowly as she had let her arm drop, but she strode to Toph without pause. She took one of Toph's hands in hers, rubbing her thumb along the line in the center of Toph's palm.

"I'm—sorry," she sighed. Toph let out a breath through her nose, closing her fingers around Katara's thumb. "It's just—I know I should have stopped him before he left. I'm sorry that I didn't." Toph's breath was hard once again, her frown soon joined by her furrowed brows. Katara sighed, eyes falling to the ground. She let the hand that Toph had no hold upon rise to touch the woman's cheek.

"Toph, please," she said quietly. "I'm sorry. I really mean that. I—I _know_ we have to tell him. We _are_ going to tell him." Toph did not reply, and did not turn to press her face against Katara's hand. Katara looked up slowly, and a small smile came to her when she saw that the sharp angle of Toph's brows had softened.

"He'll be back by sundown," she continued. "And he'll have calmed down enough to sit down and talk by then." She rubbed at Toph's cheek with her fingertips, moving to press their foreheads together. "I'm sorry that I didn't make him stop."

"You said that already," Toph mumbled. Katara chuckled at the wry smile that appeared for a moment. The frown that returned after the smile vanished was not as harsh as its predecessor, and so Katara's smile grew stronger.

"I know," she replied. "I just want to make sure that it gets through that head of yours." She tipped her chin forward, brushing her lips against Toph's hesitantly. Toph returned the kiss, and their parting did not come quickly. Katara sighed and let her head move to rest against Toph's neck.

"He's already gone," she said quietly. "He'll be gone the entire day."

"Well, yeah," Toph replied. "It's not like I can just walk on the beach and spit over to Kyoshi Island from here." Katara coughed, torn between laughing at the remark and gagging at the imagery. She wrapped an arm around Toph's waist, pulling the other woman closer.

"No, you couldn't," she said. "And even on Appa, it's a full day's flight there and back." Toph shuddered at the memory of the long days and nights spent on the bison's back.

"I don't care how nice the view is for everyone else," she said. "And I don't care how comfy the saddle was. I _hate_ flying." Katara blinked, letting out a breath that mixed a laugh and a sigh. She nuzzled against Toph, squeezing her gently.

"Toph, do I have to write it in a rock?" she asked.

"Write what?" Katara lifted her head, and smiled as she lifted a brow at the grin Toph had on her face. Toph put her free arm around Katara's shoulders, snickering at the gentle punch her chest received.

"I want us to have a day to ourselves," Katara murmured. "Just us. Can we do that and not worry about everything else?"

"Have you been planning this?" Toph asked, drumming her fingers along Katara's back. Katara smiled, gripping Toph's hand and tightening her hold on the woman's waist.

"No," she replied. "But I know somewhere we can go."

----------

Had she not been a master earthbender, Toph would have balked at the task Katara had given her. Years ago, while swimming aimlessly about, Katara had discovered a small cove just to the north of the city. The mountains bordered the cove until its mouth opened to the sea, and the hills coming down from the mountains were too steep to reach the cove without some type of earthen manipulation.

As Katara explained the trouble of reaching the cove, Toph had simply crossed her arms. At the closing of her eyes, the ground rose up under her feet in a burst, flinging her into the air. Katara watched as the woman passed over her head and made a clean forward flip. The ground powdered itself behind Katara, and Toph landed with barely a bend in her knees. She turned about, eyes still closed, and grinned lopsidedly. Katara crossed her arms as well, smirking.

"All right," she had said. "If you're so ready to show off your earthbending for me, why don't we make this more fun?" Toph's grin grew first at the challenge, and continued to brighten as Katara explained. It would be a race to the cove, Toph over land and Katara by sea. With the manner and grace of a sportsman, Katara promised not to aid her swimming too much with waterbending, with the stipulation that Toph also carry a meal for them to share during the day. It was with some confusion, however, that Toph took a bundle of cloth that Katara pushed into her hands.

"What else am I carrying?" she asked. Her fingertips brushed against soft, familiar cloth. There were no sleeves to speak of upon the long shirt, and the legs of the pants would only reach to her knees when held up with the belt.

"Katara, why do you have my _sleeping_ clothes?" she asked.

"Because I want you to at least get in the water once with me," Katara replied. "I can't help you swim in all the clothes you've got on now." She rose up on her toes to speak in Toph's ear, her bare shoulder brushing against Toph's. "And it's not really fair if you're wearing more than I am." Toph heard the rustle of cloth, a soft vibration near her toes showing her the crumpled shape of Katara's discarded clothing.

Toph blushed, choking on her breath, and Katara laughed at the sound. She fell back heavily on her heels, but Toph could hear the soft flutter of loose cloth more than she could sense the echoes of what Katara wore. As Katara strode away, the images came back more clearly. Her clothing were simple wraps, binding her breasts while baring her stomach. The cloth extended from waist to mid thigh, the fluttering sound Toph heard moments before having come from a length that hung to her knees. Katara continued on until she left the courtyard and stood near the edge of the sea, rocking back and forth on her heels and laughing quietly. Toph let out a slow breath, frowning at the blush that still warmed her cheeks.

"That wasn't too mean, was it?" Katara asked in a giggle. Toph smiled, shrugging her shoulders.

"No," she replied. "Just—a surprise." She grinned, drawing back one leg. "Like this." She kicked the ground, and the stone beneath Katara's feet shifted. Katara gasped, wobbling as she was carried out to hang far over the sea, standing on a narrow shelf of stone. She looked back at Toph, who continued to grin as she lifted her leg. Before Katara could protest, Toph stomped her foot down. The stone under Katara's feet crumbled into loose dirt, and woman and earth fell into the sea with resounding splashes. When her head broke through the surface of the water, she heard Toph's loud laughter and looked up to see the woman standing near the edge of the courtyard.

"You—brat!" she shouted, unable to keep from laughing even as she slapped the water.

"Takes one to know one, Sugar Queen!" Toph called in reply. Katara smiled, lifting one arm slowly from the water. A sphere of water rose with her hand, and she flicked her wrist. The water rose in a high arc to splash against Toph's face, and Toph's laughter was quickly replaced by Katara's giggles. Toph wiped the water from her face, crouching down to grin crookedly at the ocean and the woman floating in it.

"You better start swimming now, Sweetness," she said. "I'll be waiting for a long time unless you hurry up." She turned, rising from her crouch as she moved, and broke into a dash that left behind puffs of dust and dirt. Katara did not hesitate, gesturing sharply at the water. It swelled around her, pushing her forward as quickly as Toph ran. Through the splashing in her ears, Katara could hear Toph's laughter. Even as she began to swim with little bending, muscles burning with effort, Katara smiled and fought the urge to laugh.

Toph made her way along the edge of the coast, watching where the echoes stopped short and listening to the steady breaking of the water. When the hills began to grow steeper, she hardened her steps. The rocks beneath her feet rose swiftly, lifting her high enough to take another step. The vibrations came back to tell her of where to place her foot next, the most solid structures of rock pulsing strongly back against her toes. When her speed began to falter, she heard the splashing of Katara's arms and legs against the water slowly creep forward in her ear. Soon, the sound of the other woman had moved from beside her to just ahead of her.

"I thought you _weren't_ using your bending!" she shouted with a grin. Amidst her deepening breath and the rhythmic crashing of water against limbs, she heard Katara laugh for a moment. They fell back into motion, Toph pressing onward and coming quickly to the peak of the hills surrounding the cove. The way down was a blend of leaps and a steady run, and Toph snickered at the sudden mental image of herself as a rabbaroo, misplaced on the rocky hillsides. Katara could see the mouth of the cove when she lifted her head to breathe, letting the water push her forward all the faster at the sight of Toph so far down the hills.

Neither knew who won the race. Toph skid to a halt at the water's edge, toes splashing as Katara swam up to touch the soft silt just yards from where Toph had stopped. They paused to catch their breath, Toph falling on her rear and Katara sitting up in the shallows with her fingers creating imprints in the silt. After a time, they lifted their heads, Toph aiming a crooked grin toward Katara and receiving an unseen smile.

"Do we say it's a draw?" Toph asked. Katara laughed, dragging her fingers back into the water to rinse them of the silt.

"I'd be happy with that," she replied. She rose to her feet and took three wobbling steps before the muscles in her legs protested too loudly to be ignored. They seized, and the gasp Katara gave was both to the flash of pain and to the way she pitched forward. Toph dug her fingers into the stone and forced the patch of earth beneath her rear to shift to one side. The packed food and clothes were shoved away, and Katara fell only to have Toph catch her gently.

"I thought you were supposed to be good in the water," Toph chuckled. Katara laughed and laid her head against Toph's shoulder, reaching down to rub at her twitching calves and thighs.

"I'll be 'good' in a minute," she said. "Don't you need to catch _your_ breath?" Toph laughed and wrapped her arms around Katara's shoulders, hugging her close. They sat together, listening to the waves that broke on the shore. The sound came in odd beats, larger waves striking the hills before smaller waves sloshed into the cove to splash against their outstretched feet. Toph stroked Katara's hair, occasionally flicking off the drops of water that collected on her fingertips.

"I like this a lot better than our last trip out near the water," Katara murmured.

"Me too," Toph said, her voice soft. Her hand stilled, resting on the back of Katara's head as well as her shoulder. She smiled slightly, tightening her grip. "But now I don't know if I'm jealous of Aang or not."

"What?" Katara asked, unable to suppress a smile. "Why?"

"I should be jealous because he got to hold you a lot more than I have," Toph explained. "But now I get to hold you." Katara only nodded slightly and reached to take hold of the hand Toph had on her shoulder. The muscles beneath her free hand had stopped twitching, and she could flex her toes without needles of pain prickling under her skin.

"Well, I never taught him how to swim, so there's something else," she said. She squeezed Toph's hand and rose to her knees. "Come on—I promise that there's no giant serpent here." The laugh in her voice gave Toph reason enough to reach up and gently see the other woman's smile with her hand.

"That's good," she replied. "I'll be worried enough about drowning without that thing here." Katara smirked, taking Toph's hand away from her lips and leaning forward to kiss the other woman.

"Maybe we should just wait for everyone to get here," she said after a moment. "You seemed pretty happy to have Suki rescue you." Her smirk grew wider. "Should I be worried when she gets here?" She laughed at the scowl on Toph's face, exaggerated more than usual. She stood up, moving to stand in the water. Toph shook her head, rising and taking hold of her sleeping clothes.

"Not a chance," she said. "Suki isn't nearly as fun as you are." She jabbed two fingers toward the ground, angled slabs of stone rising to meet at a point over her head. Another twitch of her hand closed the stone tent. Katara smiled, dragging her toes across the surface of the water with her arms behind her back. It was mere minutes later that the stone sank back into the ground, and Katara bit her lip at the sight of a blush on Toph's face.

"Don't you _dare_ laugh when we start doing this," Toph said, tossing aside her crumpled clothing. She hesitated at the water's edge before striding in deeply enough for the water to lap at the hem of her loose, knee-length, and faded green pants. As the water dampened the cloth, creeping slowly upward, she frowned and held her arms at her sides. Vibrations barely traveled through the silt under her feet, the tips of her toes unable to find solid earth even when she dug them deep into the loose, grainy soil.

"Sand and water," she muttered. "My favorites." Katara laughed. Toph concentrated on the sound of the water sloshing around Katara's legs as she strode forward, smiling when Katara's hands closed on her elbow.

"Come on," Katara said. "It'll be easier if you get deeper than this." She began to guide Toph away from the shallows. Their steps were slow, Katara pushing back against the water gently as Toph dragged her toes in the silt. Toph grimaced visibly when the water rose over her waist, lifting her arms as they drew nearer to the water. Katara smiled and tugged Toph's arm down, kissing Toph's shoulder when Toph groaned at the wetness surrounding her hand.

"Not having fun yet," Toph grumbled.

"If you'd just _relax_, you'd be having fun," Katara replied. She smiled and let go of Toph's elbow. Toph started, reaching to grab at Katara's hands. Katara dodged aside, and Toph did not move from where she stood.

"Now I'm really not having fun," Toph said. She lifted one foot slowly, shoving it back into the silt when she wobbled in the water. The vibrations her foot made, dying away after only a few yards, did not return to her. Toph jammed her feet all the more deeply into the silt. "Katara, I can't see you at all! Where are you?"

"Right here." Katara's hand brushed along Toph's back, and vanished as quickly as it came. Toph turned, but the hazy afterimages she received only showed a few stones buried in the ground behind her.

"Are you swimming?" she asked, turning one ear toward the quiet burble of water rushing back against skin. Katara laughed, and Toph turned quickly to her left. She reached out, hand bumping against Katara's shoulder. Before she could take hold of Katara's arm, the other woman moved out of reach. Toph pulled back her hand, shoving at the water to keep from falling forward off her feet.

"You can do better than that!" Katara giggled.

"Not if you're cheating and floating off the ground!" Toph replied, coughing to cover a laugh. She stopped moving, turning her head from side to side. The waves, breaking against the various shores, did not register in her mind. She waited, ignoring the rushes that the water made against her. The waves pushed on her stomach, and she continued to wait. Pressure came to the middle of her back, and the water slopped lazily as a hand broke through to the surface.

Toph spun, fighting against the water as she tried to leap forward. Katara shrieked and laughed as Toph fell upon her, the pair of them splashing into the water. Toph kicked her legs, standing straight when her heels sank into the silt. She sputtered when her head came into the air, lifting Katara against her chest and coughing to clear away the salty water in her mouth.

"Who's a brat now?" she demanded, laughing. Katara laughed as well, reaching to touch the arm Toph had draped over her chest.

"You're like an old bearded _cat_ in the water!" Katara giggled. "If you'd just calm down, it wouldn't be as bad as you make it!" Her legs drifted down from where they floated in the water, heels coming to rest gently on the tops of Toph's feet. "It's actually really relaxing if you just let it be."

"Did the water go up your nose and into your brain?" Toph asked. Katara snorted and slapped Toph's wrist. "Good solid earth is really relaxing. Water is just—squishy and weird."

"How is water 'squishy?'" Katara asked, tilting her head back to rest it on Toph's shoulder. One foot rose through the water, her toes coming into the air. She patted her foot back and forth, sending out ripples with barely a splash. "It's really not that bad, Toph."

"Well, it makes the ground squishy," Toph replied. "Mud is just as bad as sand, remember?" Katara shook her head with a smile. She brought her leg down and stepped off of Toph's feet, turning to put her hands on Toph's cheeks.

"If I show you something about the water that's relaxing, will you admit that it's not as bad as you thought?" she asked. Toph's brow rose, her head tilting down toward Katara's voice. She was unsure if Katara was shifting her weight from foot to foot or if the waves were simply making her sway and readjust her balance. The silt did not give her a clear enough image, and so she touched Katara's lips with her fingers. She saw a smile, and managed one of her own.

"You're not going to trick me or anything, are you?" she asked. The smile under her fingers grew broader, and Katara kissed Toph's fingertips with a giggle.

"I promise on my mother's necklace that I'm not going to trick you," she said. "It'll be fine—just trust me for a few minutes."

"I already trust you," Toph said, smirking. Katara ducked under the arm Toph had around her shoulders, moving to stand behind the other woman.

"Trust me a little more than usual," Katara said. She put her hands on Toph's back, fingers curling just under Toph's arms. "Lie back and lift your feet."

"No way." The reply was immediate, and Katara laughed at its speed.

"I _promise_ it'll be all right!" she insisted. "I won't even let your head go in the water!"

"I don't really want to be completely blind," Toph muttered. She did not struggle to move away, however, and Katara stood on her toes to kiss just behind Toph's ear.

"I won't let go of you, okay?" Katara said. "Just relax, lie back, and lift your feet." Toph groaned quietly, pinching her eyes closed. She clenched her teeth and began to lean back against Katara. Her knees bent slightly, but her feet remained entrenched in the silt. Katara smiled, and the water swelled behind Toph's ankles to gently push her feet out of the silt. Toph made a strangled sound, half a cry of Katara's name and half a shout of protest, but stiffened too swiftly to think of returning her feet to the ground.

"Relax," Katara murmured. She put her chin on Toph's forehead, holding the other woman's head against her chest. Toph did not open her eyes, for what good it would do her, but her tight jaw began to loosen. She cast her mind about for something to focus upon. In the back of her skull, she felt a slow, rhythmic pulse. In her ear, she heard low sounds, as if a hand had patted a drum, in time with the pulse.

"Your heart is _really_ loud from this close," Toph said. Katara chuckled, and the muscles in Toph's legs began to relax. The water pushed at her body with the waves, but Katara only let her be rocked gently from side to side. She remained level, head out of the water and Katara's heartbeat in her ear. Toph opened her eyes after a time, blinking when she noticed Katara's chin on her forehead.

"Are you making the water do this?" she asked.

"Do what?" Katara asked in turn.

"Keep me off the ground," Toph replied.

"No," Katara said with a smile. "You're floating by yourself—no bending needed." She lifted her head, looking down at Toph's face. "How do you like it?" Toph blinked, feeling the waves lap against her chest. The sun warmed the skin of her shoulders, the cool water stopping halfway on her upper arms. She blinked again, and there was no difference between the images of blackness. Her hand rose out of the water, reaching slowly to touch Katara's chin.

"It's still kind of weird," Toph said. "But it's not awful."

"Ready to learn how to swim, then?" Katara asked with a grin. Toph's hand slid up Katara's cheek to push at the end of her nose.

"Not really," Toph said, grinning crookedly. "I think I'll be staying on solid ground, where I can see." She bent her knees, pulling her legs down through the water to sink into the silt. She stood, lifting her head from Katara's chest, and turned about. With their toes almost touching, there was no haziness in the image Toph felt from Katara. Smiling, Toph leaned forward, waiting until their foreheads touched before tipping Katara's chin up for a kiss. When they parted, Toph grinned once more and took one of Katara's hands. They waded back to the shore, Toph dragging only her heels against the silt as they walked.

The moment her toes were out of the water, Toph kicked a solid stone patch up from under the silt at the water's edge. She turned on heel and fell onto the stone and her rear, drawing up her knees and digging divots in the damp sand between stone and water with her heels. She offered a hand to Katara, guiding the other woman to sit with her, Katara's back to Toph's chest. Toph wrapped her arms around Katara's shoulders, and Katara nuzzled back against Toph, drumming her fingers slowly on Toph's knees.

"You really like having me in your lap," Katara remarked, chuckling.

"I told you, I like being the one holding you," Toph replied. One of her hands drifted up the curve of muscle that connected Katara's shoulder and neck, fingers pausing on the damp cloth of the choker. She followed the choker to the pendant and rubbed her thumb along its edge.

"Do you only promise on your mother's necklace?" she asked. Katara's hands stilled, moving to lie flat on Toph's knees.

"It means a lot for me to promise on my mother's necklace," Katara sighed.

"I know," Toph said, patting Katara's shoulder with her free hand. She did not let go of the pendant, thumb still rubbing gently at its edge. "Would it mean anything to promise on this one?"

"Toph, stop," Katara murmured. "Please. I just—this is going to hurt Aang so much. I don't even know how to start to tell him." Toph's thumb stopped for a moment before moving to rest on the pendant's face. She rubbed her thumb over the pendant slowly, each centimeter's movement taking full seconds. Katara blinked, unable to look down. A minute passed by before Toph took her hand away from the stone.

"It wouldn't be that hard to start," she said. Katara reached up and touched the pendant, rubbing her fingers on its face. The inverted triangle of swirls had vanished, replaced instead by an open-bottomed, flat-topped pyramid enclosing a single whirl imprint. The imprinting was clean, the edges smooth and angles sharp. Katara blinked, lips twitching up to a small smile.

"That's—Toph," she said, words bursting from her mouth in rushes of laughter. Toph grinned, closing her hand around Katara's and the pendant.

"No, that's the Earth Kingdom mark," Toph said. "Do you like it?"

"I—I do," Katara stuttered. She pressed her thumb hard against the whirl in the center of the stone. Her smile weakened as her thumb came away, and she sighed. "But—put it back. Please."

"Why?" Toph asked.

"Aang made that for me," Katara replied, her voice quiet. "I don't want to tell him like that." Toph sighed, grin fading to a faint scowl. She took the pendant in hand once again, carefully restoring the Air Nomad's mark to the stone. She dropped her hand when she was finished, her chin falling to rest on Katara's shoulder.

"Katara, how _do_ you want to tell him?" she asked. "We're going to talk to him tonight when he comes back. Shouldn't we think about it now?" Katara sighed once more, leaning her head against Toph's.

"We should," she said. Nothing more was said for another full minute. Toph blew a puff of air between her pursed lips, lifting her head from Katara's shoulder.

"But you don't want to," Toph said.

"I just want to know how to _tell_ him first!" Katara protested. "Toph, do you know how happy he was when I accepted this necklace?"

"As happy as I was when you kissed me last night?" Toph asked in turn. Katara did not reply, and Toph squeezed her around the shoulders when more time had passed in silence "Katara, I'm not saying we try to hurt him. He's just going to get hurt no matter what we say to him." Katara drew in a deep breath, letting it out in another sigh. She shook her head slowly, reaching down from Toph's knee to pick up a pebble. The pebble, tossed in a high arc, vanished under the water's surface with a quiet plop. Katara dropped her hand back onto Toph's knee, and Toph reached to lace their fingers together.

"Can I think of how to tell him?" Katara asked. "Just for a little while?"

"What's a 'little while?'" Katara smiled halfheartedly and squeezed Toph's fingers.

"Can you believe that I want to ask for Sokka's advice?" she asked. Toph blinked.

"The scary thing is that I can," she said. Katara giggled, stopping the sound quickly by biting her lip. Toph chuckled quietly, and the tension that had appeared so quickly in Katara's shoulders began to weaken. She gripped Toph's hand tightly, turning to look at Toph's face.

"Please, Toph?" Katara asked. "I'll think of what to say to Aang." Toph sighed, but did not take her hand from Katara's.

"Promise?" she asked. Katara smiled, kissing Toph's cheek.

"On my mother's necklace," she said. Toph smiled and nodded slowly.

"All right," she said. "But ignore Sokka if he tells you to do something stupid."

"It'd be something new if I _didn't_ ignore him," Katara said. Toph rolled her eyes, moving to tickle Katara's side with her free hand. Katara giggled and laughed, burrowing back against Toph's chest and twisting about to avoid Toph's fingers. Toph stopped only when Katara was panting for breath and tears were rolling from her eyes. They settled against one another, smiling and letting the sun dry their clothes. As the afternoon came, they continued to lounge together in the quiet, eating when they grew hungry and playing in the water when the sunlight grew too hot. When all other ideas had failed, Toph had laid down on a dry patch of earth, closing her eyes and drifting, immediately, to sleep. Katara joined her on the ground only, watching the other woman's face as she slept and thinking of nothing while she smiled.

The afternoon had begun to wane, shadows growing long, when Katara sighed and lifted her head from its familiar resting place on Toph's chest. She sat up, Toph lying prone, asleep, on the ground. It took more than a fair share of quiet entreaties, sharp prods, and gentle kisses to wake Toph and make her rise to her feet. Silently, Katara and Toph gathered their things, Toph changing back into her dry clothes and Katara bending the water from the cloth she was wrapped in.

The idea of another race never came to either of them. Toph simply pulled level stone platforms from the sea, following the coastline in its wide, slight curve. She and Katara walked, hand in hand, back to the courtyard of Katara's house. The sun was nearly below the horizon when they arrived. By the time Katara had dressed properly and the two of them had set about lighting candles, night had fallen. It was not long before they heard the lowing moans of a sky bison in the distance, and Aang's shouted admonishments for Appa to take care while landing in the courtyard.

Toph stood to one side and Katara rushed forward when the bison's six feet touched the ground. Two people leapt down from the saddle, one landing heavily and the other barely creating a vibration in the earth. Toph ignored the cheery shouts as Katara and Sokka hugged each other, focusing instead on Aang's light footsteps as he strode toward her.

"Here they are," Aang said, chuckling. Toph nodded, blinking once when Suki landed on the ground, Sokka's proffered assistance unnecessary. Aang smiled as Suki kissed away Sokka's exaggerated pout. When he looked at Katara, he blinked, smile fading as memory returned to him.

"Hey, Toph?" he said. "What was it that you and Katara wanted to talk about this morning?" Toph did not blink, her head tilted forward and her eyes aimed at the ground.

"We'll talk about it later," she replied. She started forward before Aang could think of the flatness of her voice. "Come on, Twinkle Toes." Aang blinked as Toph strode straight to Sokka and slapped her hands against his cheeks. When he saw the dirty handprints she left behind, he laughed, shrugged, and went back to join the small group with a smile on his face.

—_to be continued—_


	8. Chapter 8

Ye Chang Meng Duo: Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Nickelodeon (and all others) own "Avatar: The Last Airbender." I own whatever I write/create. Don't steal and don't sue.

A/N: This is a collaborative work between myself, and the artist Mag (fortheloveofpizza. Please make sure to visit Mag's deviantArt page for artwork that is, not so much inspired by this story, as the story is inspired by Mag's exceptional imagination. The title is Chinese for, "The longer the night lasts, the more our dreams will be."

"Come on, Aang! Knock that firebender's head off her shoulders!" The shout was followed immediately by a yelp of pain as Sokka received two swift punches to either shoulder.

"Hey, I was just _kidding_," he grumbled, rubbing his shoulders. He frowned first at Toph, kneeling on the ground to his left. When she did not react, he deepened his frown to a scowl, brows knitting.

"I still can't see whatever dopey expression is on your face, you know," Toph said. Sokka blinked and pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, well—I still hate that about you," he muttered. He winced at the sting in his shoulders, reaching up to continue rubbing at them. His head tilted forward and turned to his right. Hova, sitting cross-legged next to him, stared at him a moment. Sokka opened his mouth to speak, eyes narrowing as he took a breath.

"Say anything rude to Hova and we'll tell Katara and Suki when they come back from their girly day out," Toph said. Sokka's jaw dropped as he spun his head back around to stare at Toph.

"But I wasn't going to!" he said. "It was going to be another joke!"

"Sokka, be nice!" Aang chided, calling from where he stood a few yards away. Sokka stared at the other man, jaw still hanging slack at the sight of Aang's toothy grin. He closed his mouth and made a high-pitched whine, the sound buzzing through his nose. When he looked at Hova, she smiled and stuck out her tongue. Sokka crossed his arms and returned the gesture, pinching his eyes closed to concentrate on extending his tongue further.

"Hova, stop that." Hova closed her mouth, ducking her head down into her shoulders and smiling sheepishly at Kailas. The other woman chuckled, shaking her head.

"Okay, now that everyone's stopped talking, do you want to get started again?" Aang asked. Kailas nodded, shifting her heels to settle more firmly in her stance. A few feet away, Aang did the same, bending his knees once before widening his stance further. They lifted their hands, staggered forward and back with fingers loose and spread apart.

Sweat had broken on both their brows after the first few drills of various forms, and now glistened on Aang's bare head and darkened Kailas's hair. They stood with their feet bare on the level, smooth ground, all pebbles and patches of loose dirt removed by Toph before the lessons had even begun. After an hour, Kailas had removed her shirt and given it to Hova, preferring not to sweat through anything other than the cloth bindings around her chest. The cloth covered little more than was necessary, looping over her shoulders and breasts. On her right collarbone and the left side of her stomach, the pocked, thick red line of an old burn scar crept out from the edges of the bindings.

Aang smiled, shifting his weight. Toph put her hands flat on the ground, head tilted forward. Hova and Sokka swallowed in unison, breathing too quietly to be heard. Kailas mirrored Aang as he took a step to one side. They moved in a circle, stances resumed whenever one or the other paused for a moment. Aang's smile broadened before he clenched his teeth together. He bunched the muscles in his legs and leapt, his right knee rising up and forward in a strike that, had he been close enough, might have cracked solidly against Kailas's chin. Flames rushed from his leg in a long-tailed sphere, crackling in a low roar as it shot toward Kailas.

Kailas pressed her hands together and thrust them into the core of the fireball, the red and orange heat parting to flash by her shoulders without leaving behind a single burn. She pulled back her right hand as Aang landed on his feet, exhaling sharply when she jabbed her hand forward once more. Her fingers were curled partway, the heel of her palm the birthplace of the stream of fire that came into the world. Aang ducked down, one foot shifting forward to let him crouch low on one knee. He dragged both hands along the ground on either side of him before clapping them together in front of his toes. A trail of flames erupted from the dirt, spiking high enough to have washed over Kailas's ankles had she remained still.

She leapt up, moving only slightly forward as she drew her knees to her chest. Both legs snapped straight, fireballs bursting from her heels. Aang rolled, his back smoothly curving from shoulder to hip over the ground, and brought his legs out from under him to return to his feet. The fireballs exploded in a shower of sparks where he had crouched, and Kailas twisted her spine in midair to begin turning toward Aang.

He turned faster, one heel dragging on the ground. More bright red sparks came before his foot rose from the ground and a wide arc of fire followed the path of his kick. Kailas lifted her hands, a circle of fire growing between them. The brunt of the heat slammed against the shield, spinning her back and about. The tail of the fire missed her completely, and her feet touched the ground as Aang turned to face her once more.

"Ready to try against something else?" he asked. Kailas nodded. From the corner of his eye, Sokka saw Hova's hands tighten in her lap. He reached to pat her on the shoulder, smiling slightly when she looked up at him. Toph kept her hands on the ground and her head down, but she grinned at the faint image that came to her from her right. Aang nodded, rubbing one hand over his head to wipe away the sweat that had gathered. When his arm came down, he lifted one foot. He stomped down hard, a rock as large as his head breaking through the soil and into the air.

Before the rock could fall, Aang struck it with his fist and sent it flying. Kailas brought her hands together and turned back, swinging her arms back around when the rock came near. Her body twisted to block the stone and push it down and away, and she let the twist become a rolling flip forward. Flames came off the heel of her leading foot as her shoulders and back rolled along the ground, a pillar wide and tall enough to encase Aang completely. Aang gestured in a wide circle, pulling two walls of stone up to slam closed before him. The flames hit the stone and dispersed in puffs of heat and light.

One portion of the wall was kicked sharply, snapping free of the ground to rush, flat and wide, at Kailas. She leapt up from her crouch to dodge aside, barely able to resume her stance before Aang punched the other half of the rock wall. Kailas brought her arms and legs in, standing on the balls of her feet with her arms over her head to have the stone fly by with inches to spare. As Aang began to resume a ready position, Kailas quickly brought her arms down. Her arms swept up and down before her, hands flourishing and fire curving from her fingertips to gather in long, coiling strands.

Aang drew one leg in to stand straight and tall, turning his right shoulder back. With his palm flat and fingers extended, his arm dipped down low before rising high and fast. A rush of air, as tall and broad as the fire Kailas had made moments before, came from his hand. Kailas rose onto her toes and turned aside to dodge the air, arms still moving and fire building in her grasp. Aang took a step forward, repeating the strike with his left hand. Another burst of air shot toward Kailas, and she dodged once more. As she turned, she let one of her legs be carried by momentum and rise. Her kick, loosing a swift fireball, was met with the throwing of the snaking tendrils that had gathered in her hands toward Aang.

He bent backward, knees and spine curving far enough to let his hands touch the ground. The fire came close to scorching the cloth of his shirt, and he grit his teeth at the heat he felt on his belly. He bent his elbows and lifted his feet from the ground, pushing hard with his hands to launch forward. More air came from his feet, moving too quickly for Kailas, proper balance barely regained from her kick, to dodge. It slammed into her chest, lifting her clear off the ground and throwing her backward through the air.

Hova gasped, her hands clapping over her mouth. Toph ground her hands against the dirt, a faint puff of dust rising from the broad patch that became soft powder. Kailas hit the powder, rolling immediately from her back to her side. Her breath, controlled and even throughout the hours of training, came now in short, squeaking bursts. Her arms were crossed over her chest, hands gripping her shoulders as her forearms pressed down hard between her breasts. Hova scrambled to stand and rush to Kailas as Aang flipped back onto his feet. He paled, eyes widening, at the sight of the woman lying on the ground.

"I'm—I'm sorry!" he said. He took a step forward and paused, patting his hands in the air without knowing why. "I didn't meant to hurt you! What did I do?"

"It'll be all right," Kailas wheezed. She sat up slowly, Hova's hands on her shoulders despite the gritty powder that threatened to become a paste on her sweaty skin. "Just haven't—been hit in the chest for years." She lifted her arms slowly, Hova's hands moving to her elbows. She looked at Kailas's chest, frowning at the clear fluid that shone between two of the many raised swells of tissue in the scar on her chest.

"I'm not bleeding," Kailas murmured, Aang sighing in relief though Kailas's eyes were turned to Hova.

"Yeah, well, you're not sparring anymore today, either," Hova replied. She sighed, looking away from Kailas's chest when the fluid began to slide down onto her stomach.

"I'm really sorry," Aang said. He rubbed at the back of his neck, shrugging with one shoulder as Hova stood straight. She gave him a small smile.

"It's not anyone's fault," she said with a sigh. She went to where Sokka and Toph had risen to their feet, picking up one of the spare pieces of dry, clean cloth that lay folded on the ground by Kailas's discarded shirt. She opened it with a flick of her wrist and returned to Kailas, kneeling behind her and holding the cloth to her chest.

"Shouldn't we try to find Katara and get her to heal you?" Sokka asked.

"It's just a scar thing," Hova replied. "It's tight, and it'll tear if she does something stupid. She's done worse." She nodded, tapping her chin against the top of Kailas's head to receive a chuckle.

"So is my entertainment for the day over?" Toph asked. Kailas chuckled again, pressing Hova's hand down more firmly.

"If you're so bored that you'd be willing to watch me try to pass off what I do as firebending, why don't _you_ spar with the Avatar, miss Blind Bandit?" she asked.

"I thought you did great for just coming off of your first lesson," Aang said quickly, grinning broadly. "What was that thing you did at the very end? I didn't teach you that."

"When you watch a woman dance for close to eight years, you learn something," Kailas replied.

"So that was something you made up on your own?" Aang asked. "That was great!"

"You can stop trying to kiss and make up now, Twinkle Toes," Toph said. "It was an accident, anyway." Aang turned to Toph, blinking at the way she stood with her arms crossed and her head tilted toward the ground.

"I know it was an accident," he said quietly. "I'm not being sarcastic."

"I never said you were being sarcastic," Toph said, her words nearly overlapping with his. "I said you can stop trying to make up. We all know that Kailas did well. It's stupid to keep telling her how great she is. It's stupid to do that to anyone. _You_ ought to know that." Sokka put a hand to his chin, stroking the stubble that he hadn't bothered to shave away that morning.

"I forget if you were _always_ like this," he said. "I mean, you've been sarcastic and rude ever since Suki and I got here three days ago, but this seems—more rude than usual." He turned to Kailas and Hova, raising an eyebrow. "Has she been like this since she got here?"

"You've been getting bad since Sokka and Suki came," Aang said, frowning at Toph. "You weren't like this before. What's wrong?" Toph closed her eyes, her jaw tight and her teeth clenched behind her lips.

"I—haven't done any earthbending for a while," she replied. "That's all." Aang sighed and smiled.

"Why didn't you just say so?" he asked. "I'd be happy to spar." Toph opened her mouth. Her eyes narrowed after a moment, her head falling to one side with a faint side-to-side shake.

"Fine," she muttered. "Let's fight. I haven't had any good competition for months." She took a step away from Sokka before lifting her arms, palms upward. He made a choking noise and rushed to where Kailas and Hova had settled, stopping only when he was standing behind them.

"Don't you start fighting when I'm right next to you!" he snapped. "I don't want to nearly get crushed again!" Toph frowned, lifting one heel from the ground before stepping down hard. Sokka yelped as the ground stubbed itself against the toes of one foot, crouching down to rub at the sting.

"Benders," he muttered. "It's _always_ benders." Hova giggled, tightening her hold on Kailas.

"I like my bender," she chuckled.

"Well, I like the woman I'm with to not be able to hurt me with weird magical powers," Sokka replied. "If you want to put up with it, fine, but it's definitely not for me." He looked away, sighing abruptly and smiling with his eyes half-closed. "Ah, Suki."

"Are you done yet?" Toph asked. The smile vanished, a new pouting frown turned toward Toph.

"Come on, Sokka," Aang said. "You were quiet for Kailas and me before." He smiled, crossing his arms over his chest. "And I think that Suki could hurt you without the bending."

"That's not the point," Sokka replied, putting his nose in the air. "At least she does all her hurting normally, like a proper warrior." He balked at the frown on Toph's face, lifting his hands and closing his mouth. Aang laughed a moment before uncrossing his arms.

"Ready to start?" he asked. He sucked in a breath as the ground under his right foot abruptly shifted to one side and dragged his leg out into a wider stance. He wobbled when the dirt stopped moving, falling to one knee with a grunt.

"Rocklike, Twinkles Toes," Toph said. "You can't start a fight if you aren't rocklike." Aang stared at her before managing a laugh and rising to his feet.

"You got me, Sifu Toph," he said. "You never get too old to relearn a lesson, huh?" Toph nodded once, watching as the man's feet settled, wide apart and firm, on the ground. The faint, soft-edged image of the airbender had gone, and she focused on the echoes that came to her. He stood with his jaw set, his stance just shy of perfection. As he had done when she began teaching him, he favored one leg, too much of his weight settled back.

Toph took a swift half step forward, one hand beginning to move. When the balls of her foot pushed against the ground, rocks burst up under Aang's foremost foot. He was lifted, tilting back further on his rear leg. Her hand jabbed, a large stone breaking free of the ground to rush toward him. Aang lifted his hands, catching the stone before it slammed into his chest. He stumbled back, heaving the stone to one side.

"I said, rocklike!" Toph snapped. She took another half step as Aang scrambled to resume his stance, crouching down on one knee. She reached down, fingers cracking through the dirt and digging down deep into the hard stone. She flung two boulders at Aang, and he snatched them in either hand. He grunted and threw them away, swinging his arms in opposite directions. With her hands still deep in the ground, Toph felt the moment the rocks landed. The tremors traveled up her wrists and arms, and they carried the image of Aang with his arms spread wide, chest exposed.

She pulled her hands from the ground and put her palms together. Before Aang could bring his arms back up to guard, Toph thrust her hands forward once more. A column of rock shot from the ground, moving too quickly for Aang to dodge or block. It struck his chest as strongly as his air blast of minutes ago had done to Kailas, throwing him off his feet. He turned in the air, hitting the ground with his shoulder and rolling backward.

"Quit leaving yourself open, air boy!" Toph said. "I've already landed a hit, and you're not doing anything to stop me!" Aang frowned at her, rising back into his stance. He stomped one foot hard against the ground, a wide line of the ground before him shattering into individual boulders. With each punch he threw and every kick he snapped off, a stone shot from the pile. Toph frowned and drew her arms into a formal guard, one arm over her torso and the other bent close to her chest with its hand near her face. Two slabs of rock broke from the ground, closing in a triangulated shield before her.

Aang's strikes grew more forceful, the stones breaking against the shield with cracks that made Sokka, Kailas, and Hova wince at the pain in their ears. The splinters of rock that came from each dusty explosion came both from the breaking stones and the shield itself, dents and furrows being made with each attack. Behind the shield, Toph smiled without humor. She crouched and curled her hands half-closed, drawing her arms back. With the next crack of stone against stone, she hit the ground with the heels of her hands. A hole, just wide enough for her to pass through, opened for her.

With his feet so often off of the ground and his focus on destroying the shield, Aang did not notice the tremors beneath him until they threatened to throw him off balance. He put both feet on the ground and stared at the dirt between his toes. He yelped when hands emerged from the earth and closed tight around his feet. The grip was too strong for him to break free, and he was carried up into the air as Toph erupted from the tunnel below him. She hoisted him bodily up and back, tossing him over her shoulders. He hit the ground face down, skidding a distance before rolling to a stop.

"You're supposed to be able to sense things better than that!" Toph shouted. Aang did not reply, rising up onto his hands and knees. He pulled his legs under his chest and leapt, turning and straightening in the air to land in a stance, facing Toph. He balled his hands into fists and brought them together, knuckles crashing together. Two pillars of stone came from the ground on opposite sides of Toph, rushing in toward her ribs.

Her hands snapped out, the backs of her fisted hands meeting the pillars a good distance from her body. The stone broke at the backlash, crumbling and falling back to the earth. Aang clenched his teeth together, holding back a smile at the sight of Toph with her chest so open. He drew one arm back and swung it in a low, deep arc. Another boulder ruptured the surface of the ground, following the guide his arm provided toward Toph's chest.

Toph made no move to dodge, and she did not bring her guard back up. She grit her teeth and leaned her head back. Before the stone could hit her chest, Toph stepped forward to meet it with her forehead. It broke into small splinters, and she lifted her head from the cloud of dust to stare toward Aang.

"I already did that!" she snapped. "Old stuff isn't going to work anymore! Face things head-on!" Aang's frown darkened to a scowl, and he started toward her. She jabbed her hand forward, a loose stone rising and rushing out. Aang put his forearms together and gestured in a tight arc, a wall of earth mimicking his motions. The stone collided and broke, and Aang let his arms finish their sweeping motion to let the shield return to the ground. His steps grew quicker, and Toph punched again.

He made another shield, his arms moving in the opposite direction. Stone met and broke, and he continued on. At Toph's next punch, he was close to running, and slowed only slightly to create another rising and falling shield. He came nearer, one arm drawing back for a punch of his own. Toph frowned and kicked her heel against the ground as he began to swing his arm. A column of stone met Aang halfway through his strike, slamming against his chest and throwing him back before his fist could connect with Toph's face. He hit the ground once more, groaning and rubbing at his chest.

"That came in right from under you, Twinkle Toes!" Toph said, crossing her arms over her chest. "If you can't even beat me, what makes you think you're good enough to fight for Katara?" They both stopped, Aang in his rubbing and Toph in her breathing. He looked up at her, but only found that she had tilted her head forward and that her eyes were hidden behind the strands of her hair that had escaped the braid coiled on top of her head.

"I don't _have_ to fight for Katara," he said. "The war's been over for seven years."

"That—doesn't mean that something won't happen," Toph said, gripping her elbows. "I'm just saying you need to be more alert. You can't slack off just because you think there's peace right now." Aang opened his mouth, but soon closed it and nodded once. For a long moment, no one spoke. Toph sighed and turned away from the others.

"Thanks for the match," she muttered. She began to walk away, arms still crossed.

"Want us to come get you when Katara and Suki come back?" Sokka asked. Toph paused, wishing that the vibrations in the ground did not show her how Aang continued to sit on the ground with a hand pressed on his chest.

"Sure," she replied. "Whatever you guys want." She turned her focus to the ground ahead, walking forward without another word. The bare flatland between the forest and the foothills of the mountain was near Kailas and Hova's home, and so Toph made her way along the edge of the city. She shuffled her feet as she walked, the sighs she let loose growing more forceful and frequent. By the time she had returned to the small stone house, her teeth were grinding and her jaw was set. She stood outside the house for many long moments before letting out a scream and kicking the ground. Her toes tore up a boulder, launching it into the nearest hill.

With no one to talk to, Toph could only tighten her throat and storm inside the small house. She held back what she wanted to scream, instead sitting heavily on the ground and pressing her forehead to her knees. In the quiet, she wrapped her arms around her shins and pulled tight. Every muscle tensed until she thought they would tear in her effort to keep from speaking. Soon, her throat felt close to bursting, and she could not bite her lip any more tightly without drawing blood.

"This is so _stupid_!" she hissed. The tautness of her neck threatened to bring tears to her eyes, but she rubbed her forehead and took a deep, slow breath. The heat in her face and strain in her muscles began to slowly recede, and she let her breath out in a sigh. A frown, small and sad, still lingered as she leaned back against the nearest wall. She sat and waited, rubbing her thumb idly on the seams of her clothing and thinking of Katara.

----------

The evening was spent in another familial dinner, Suki and Katara relating their day out in Taonan to Sokka, Aang, and Toph. More tales were told of exploits had over the years apart, and old favorites from the last year of the war. Sokka was scolded when his stories were too fantastic, Suki occasionally delivering a slap to his shoulder and reminding him of one factor or another that had helped him in his struggles.

When asked about sparring and lessons, Toph and Aang offered nothing. Sokka ended the long moment of uncomfortable quiet by mentioning that he thought Kailas did all right, for a bender. Katara cracked the end of a water whip, made from cooling tea, against his nose, and Aang renewed the conversation by saying Kailas's lessons had gone more smoothly than his first soirees into firebending. More stories were told until the night had come, and Aang and Toph went their separate ways. Candles were extinguished, and wishes for good rests were given before Suki and Sokka went to the room Katara had provided for them.

"I'll come to bed in a while," Sokka said as Suki changed into her sleeping clothes. She paused, but soon smiled and nodded. Sokka smiled in return and gave her a soft kiss before turning and walking from the room. He made his way to the courtyard, sighing softly at the sight of Katara sitting at the edge of the sea. Rubbing the back of his neck, he strode to his sister and sat down beside her. She glanced up at him for an instant before her eyes returned to the water, chin resting on her knees.

"Can't sleep?" he asked. She nodded as best she could, sighing quietly. He hummed and tilted his head back. "Me neither."

"Liar," Katara chuckled. "You're always able to sleep, even when you're getting chased." Sokka shrugged, staring up at the waxing crescent moon. They sat together quietly for a time, the water breaking on the rocks below the only sound they could hear.

"Sokka? Can I talk to you about something?" Katara asked, her voice soft.

"Is it going to be girly stuff?" Sokka asked in return. "You'd better ask Suki if it's girly stuff. I'm bad at that."

"It's not—really _girly_," Katara said quietly. "I just need to talk to you." Sokka looked away from the moon, scratching his chin and smiling.

"Sure, Katara," he said. "What's up?" Katara lifted her head, mouth opening to speak. She faltered, muttering half-formed words before sighing and biting her lip. She raised one hand, a sphere of water rising from the waves below.

"Did you ever tell Suki that you were in love with Yue?" she asked. Sokka groaned, his head falling forward.

"That wasn't a fun month," he grumbled. "It took me forever to tell her that I don't love her any less because of Yue. There's just—I don't know—something kind of different in the way I love them." He picked up a loose pebble and tossed it at the water hovering over the sea. It broke the rounded surface, and Katara let it splash back down and take the pebble with it.

"She was that mad?" she asked.

"Nah—not _mad_, really," Sokka said. "Jealous, yeah." He grinned toothily. "What lady wouldn't get jealous where I'm involved?" The backhanded slap Katara delivered to his shoulder was halfhearted and barely left any sting behind. Sokka blinked, leaning forward in attempt to see her eyes more clearly.

"She understood after a while, though," he continued. "She knows that I care about her right now, and that I always will. We both want each other to be happy, so it was kind of stupid to just get mad at each other over something that happened before."

"But what if it's not something that happened 'before?'" Katara asked. "What if it was happening now? If you had to choose between Yue and Suki? Or if you had to tell Yue that you chose Suki over her?"

"After everything that's happened," Sokka said slowly, "I'd still chose Suki. I loved Yue—and I still do, a little—but I know that Suki is the woman I want to spend my life with. And I'd have to tell Yue that."

"How?" Katara whispered.

"I'd just tell her," Sokka replied. "I couldn't hurt her by not telling her, you know?"

"But wouldn't she be hurt if you told her?" Sokka shrugged, a small smile on his face.

"I think it'd hurt no matter what I did," he said. "But I'd want to be the one telling her. Not Suki, and not anybody else. Just—nicely. Not trying to hurt her, or make her feel like she's not good enough. I'd tell her that I wouldn't be able to love her enough, and that I still want her to be happy because I _do_ love her. But we all need to be happy as best we can, right?"

"Yeah," Katara murmured. Sokka smiled, but abruptly groaned and slapped his palm against his forehead.

"Man!" he said. "You got me talking girly mushy goo!" He grinned at Katara's giggle, letting his hand fall from his face. They sat quietly for another time, Katara's smile fading soon after her laughter stopped. Sokka's brows furrowed soon after that, a frown pulling at his lips.

"Katara?" he asked. "Why did you just ask me all of that?" She shook her head and closed her eyes, biting her lip. He watched her reach up to touch the pendant hanging from her necklace, sighing as her fingers rubbed at the symbol of the Air Nomads.

"You have to tell Aang this, don't you?" he asked. She swallowed and nodded. When she opened her eyes, they were shining and wet, but she smiled at him.

"Don't tell him anything, okay?" she said. "I have to do it—and I will." Sokka drew in a deep breath, but nodded without protest. It was only when another minute had passed that he blinked and looked back at Katara.

"Who are you choosing?" he asked. Katara smiled, shyly, as she looked at her brother.

"Toph," she said. Sokka stared a moment before blinking.

"She knows that I'll still kill her if she hurts you, right?" he asked. "Even if she's an earthbending master, the big-brother rule stands." He winked at Katara, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Same thing applies for girls, too." Katara smiled and laughed, wrapping her arms around Sokka's neck in a tight hug. He patted her back and smiled, and did not push her away.

----------

Aang made no attempt to sleep that night. He sat on Appa's head, Momo sprawled in his lap. The two animals slept, and he managed a smile at Momo when his paws curled and kneaded the air. He divided his attention, scratching behind Momo's ears with one hand and stroking the fur of Appa's head with the other. His mind whirred on, hands moving without real thought.

"What am I doing wrong, guys?" he asked in a low whisper. "It's like everyone's mad at me." Momo snored and shifted in his sleep, his paws growing still. Aang rubbed at a spot under the lemur's chin and the creature began to purr quietly.

"Why did Toph yell at me about Katara?" he asked. "She doesn't need me to help her in a fight. And it's not like we were really fighting." Momo shifted again, rolling out of Aang's lap. He landed on Appa's head with the soft shush of fur against fur. He slept on, ears barely twitching when Aang began to scratch along the lemur's spine.

"What if she wanted to fight?" Aang murmured. "Maybe she _is_ mad at me about something." He sighed and put a hand to his forehead, fingertips tracing the edges of the blue tattoo. Momo's purrs stuttered as his tail twitched from side to side, and Aang softened his scratching to petting.

"I don't want to make her mad," he said. "But—why did she bring up Katara?" He sighed once more and tilted his head back to look at the sky. The soft sound of a flute echoed from nearby, and he dropped his gaze to the earth. Appa snorted loudly in his sleep, and Aang was glad that they made their nightly camp in the upper hills of the mountains. His eyes flicked toward the source of the music before roaming back toward the city. When he found Katara's home in the distance, he paused.

"Katara's been different ever since Toph came here," he whispered. "They both have." He closed his eyes tightly, dredging up memories as best he could through the bleariness of sleep that had begun to settle on his mind. "They keep saying they want to talk to me, and then they never do. What do they want to talk about?" Momo and Appa snored on, and Aang lay down on his back with a sigh.

"Is it about me?" he asked. "Them?" He yawned despite himself, rolling to lie curled on his side. "Maybe it's about all of us." He closed his eyes, tucking his hands under his head. Momo's tail twitched and struck his stomach, but Aang only yawned once more and pushed the tail away. Before he was taken by sleep, he sighed and said to no one, "I just want to know."

—_to be continued—_


	9. Chapter 9

Ye Chang Meng Duo: Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Nickelodeon (and all others) own "Avatar: The Last Airbender." I own whatever I write/create. Don't steal and don't sue.

A/N: This is a collaborative work between myself, and the artist Mag (fortheloveofpizza. Please make sure to visit Mag's deviantArt page for artwork that is, not so much inspired by this story, as the story is inspired by Mag's exceptional imagination. The title is Chinese for, "The longer the night lasts, the more our dreams will be."

As he cast out his fishing line for the fifth time that morning, Sokka sighed. Behind him, Suki did not pause, continuing to move through the forms of the Kyoshi martial arts.

"I think I know why Katara goes shopping for food," Sokka muttered.

"Still no fish?" Suki asked.

"Nope," Sokka replied. He shuffled back from letting his legs dangle over the rock wall at the edge of the courtyard, crossing his legs and propping the fishing pole in the crook of one knee. He leaned backward, tilting his head to watch his wife. He smiled at the upside down image of Suki without her warrior's makeup and garb, clad only in a loose white dress and a dark green shirt. She continued to practice, lips curling in a smile when she noticed Sokka's gaze.

"Not worried about the fish anymore?" she asked.

"You're more fun to watch," he said in return. "And I know you won't get scared off." Suki's smile grew broader, her arms returning to her sides as she walked to where Sokka sat on the ground. She knelt beside him, her eyes closing as he leaned to kiss her. They parted after a time, Suki laying her head on Sokka's shoulder.

"Keep doing that and you'll never have to worry about me getting scared off," she said. Sokka grinned, draping an arm over her shoulders and squeezing gently. They sat together, the fishing line moving only when breezes from the sea tugged at it. Sokka, fingers rubbing idly at Suki's upper arm, did not notice the footsteps that slowly shuffled up behind them. Suki glanced over her shoulder, her smile still in place.

"Good morning, Aang," she said brightly. Sokka's hand stiffened on her arm, but she did not look at him. "How are you?"

"I'm—all right," Aang mumbled. "I guess." His hands fidgeted, curling into fists and loosening every few moments. He twisted the fabric of his pants close to his hips between thumb and forefinger, staring at the ground with his eyebrows knitted. He glanced at the man and woman before him, aiming his eyes at the ground once again when he thought of the four years they had been married.

"Do you guys know—have either of you talked to Toph and Katara?" he asked. "I mean—you know, in the last couple of days?" Suki looked at Sokka from the corner of her eye, biting the inside of her cheek at the small frown on his face. Aang sighed without waiting for an answer, chafing his hands though his fingers were warm.

"I think I need to talk to them," he said. "I think something is wrong, and they aren't telling me." He lifted his head once more, and Sokka turned to look at the young man. "Have they said anything? Has—has Katara talked to you?" Sokka drew in a deep breath, taking hold of the fishing pole and lifting it from the curve of his leg.

"If Katara has something to talk to you about, she'll be the one to tell you," he said. "Not me." Aang sighed and frowned, his head falling forward. He rubbed at the back of his neck, fingers pressing on the blue line of his tattoos.

"Do you know where Katara is?" he asked. Suki glanced at Sokka, who closed his eyes slowly.

"She went off to find Toph early today," she said. "I think she went north." Aang lifted his head and looked toward the mountains and hills just in view. Nestled in those hills was the small house he had made for Toph, and the sight of it tightened his throat. He looked back at Sokka and Suki, nodding his head in a single up and down jerk. Without another word, he started away, his hands balling into tight fists. Suki turned to Sokka, who only sighed and began to wind the fishing line back around his hand.

"Katara did talk to you about something, didn't she?" Suki asked.

"It's not up to me to say what Katara has to," Sokka replied. He checked the hook at the end of the line, frowning at the fact that the bait had gone without a twitch to the pole. He rummaged in the small bag at his side, retrieving a small piece of meat. As he carefully pierced the meat with the hook, he said, "She just better say what she has to and get everything over with."

"Does it have something to do with Toph and Aang?" Suki asked. Sokka cast out the line, watching as the hook and its bait sank into the water as deep as the line would allow.

"Yeah," he murmured. "It does. And I hope that it doesn't go as badly as I think it might."

----------

Toph had not been in her stone house when Katara went up the hill just as the sun crested the horizon. Katara had listened for the sounds of stone moving and rumbling, but her search of the nearby flat areas where Toph typically practiced did not produce the other woman. She had been on the verge of returning to her home and going into the city when the coastline caught her attention. The flat platforms that Toph had pulled from the sea for them to walk upon were still in place, the brown stone made dark by mist from the waves below.

Katara made her way along the path, ignoring the spray as she strode forward. As she drew closer to the cove, she could hear rhythmic splashes over the wash of waves against the shoreline. She tilted forward when the hills sloped sharply, almost walking on her toes to peek into the cove. Another fist-sized rock rose high in the air before hitting the water, and Katara began to jog when she spotted Toph sitting with her legs drawn up to her chest.

"Toph?" she called out. Toph's head lifted, her chin rising from its place on her knees. Katara let her feet fall flat and hard on the ground as she went into the cove, smiling as Toph unfolded her legs and stood. She was met halfway, Toph hurrying to wrap her arms around Katara. Katara returned the embrace, but blinked at how firm Toph's hold remained as the seconds passed.

"Toph?" she repeated. Toph shushed her, a puff of air pushed between her lips onto Katara's hair. She ran the fingers of one hand through the loose strands of Katara's hair slowly, each inch passed over by a callused fingertip. Her other hand found its place on the small of Katara's back, fingers rubbing in the dip of her spine so gently that Katara drew a surprised, pleased breath as her face began to burn.

"What is it?" she asked, lifting her hands from Toph's waist to touch her shoulders.

"I haven't gotten to hold you for days," Toph murmured. "I'm going to smash a mountain if I can't hold you right now." Katara smiled, nuzzling against Toph and resting her head against the other woman's chest.

"What, no kisses?" she asked.

"That comes next," Toph replied. "For now, you're mine." Katara continued to smile, letting her eyes close as Toph's hand roamed up and down the length of her back. Toph sighed quietly, the tension in her shoulders dissipating under Katara's fingers. She let her fingers curl, running her knuckles against Katara's back on the upstroke and gently trailing her short nails downward. Katara hummed and put her arms around Toph's waist, breathing deeply and listening to Toph's heartbeat.

"I want to say something," Katara said after a time.

"Do I have to let you go?" Toph asked.

"No," Katara said, grinning and shaking her head against Toph's collarbone.

"Then I'm good," Toph said. Katara giggled once more, burrowing her head under Toph's chin to press a light kiss against the exposed skin of her neck.

"I talked to Sokka last night," she explained. "I asked him what he would do if he had to tell Yue that he wanted to be with Suki more."

"Is Yue the one that turned into a fish?" Toph asked.

"She became the moon, Toph," Katara said with a smile.

"Sorry," Toph said, shrugging one shoulder as she lifted her hand to continue petting Katara's hair. "I can't keep track of Sokka's love life." She laughed at the gentle pinch Katara gave to her upper arm, kissing Katara's hair with the same softness.

"That's not the point," Katara said, words broken by giggles as Toph's fingers began to skitter lightly over her sides. She caught Toph's hands in hers, lifting them and pressing a kiss to each palm. She laced her fingers in Toph's before she continued and said, "He gave me advice."

"What would that be?" Toph asked.

"That Aang is going to be hurt no matter what I say to him," Katara said. "And I have to be the one to tell him." Toph opened her mouth to speak, but Katara laid her fingers over the other woman's lips. "I know that's what you been telling me, and I'm sorry that I haven't listened." Toph smiled and kissed the tips of Katara's fingers.

"I was going to say that your brother isn't that big of a meathead," she chuckled. "And that I want my kisses now." Katara laughed aloud, the sound trailing off into giggles as Toph touched her forehead to Katara's. Katara's giggles vanished as Toph's lips came to hers, though Toph could still feel Katara's smile. She put her hands on Katara's hips, Katara's eyes closing soon after Toph's. They parted only to breathe, and Toph pressed small kisses to each of Katara's lips amidst quiet laughter when they had.

Toph paid little mind to the ground that was not immediately under their feet. She concentrated only on the images she felt in her heels when Katara shifted her weight, grinning at the small to and fro sway of the woman's hips in her hands. She did not bother to feel out to the mouth of the cove, and the tremors that came from the pathway she had made came from footsteps too light to register on her toes. Katara only thought to listen to Toph's breath and soft chuckles, and the nearby waves. She did not hear the wavering breath that was drawn behind her, but both women heard Aang's small, confused voice ask, "Katara?"

Katara turned, her actions slow but immediate. Toph lifted her head though it made no difference, waiting for the ripples from Katara's movement to return. She could only notice Aang's slumped shoulders, and the shallow, swift pattern his breathing fell into. Katara stared at his face, blinking at the sight of his dropped jaw and widened eyes in turn. When his jaw began to work and his eyes to blink rapidly, Toph put her hands on Katara's shoulders and squeezed gently.

"Aang," Katara said. "Listen to me."

"What's going on?" he asked, his voice still wavering.

"Listen to me," Katara repeated. "This is—please don't." She swallowed, throat tightening at the way Aang's eyes had turned wet and bright. Toph's grip remained steady, and Katara lifted a hand to touch Toph's fingers. Toph took hold of Katara's hand, enfolding the woman's fingers in hers. Aang's breath hitched, his brows knitting.

"Aang," Katara said. She drew a deep breath and looked at his eyes. He stared back at her, his gaze flicking to the hand she had given to Toph. "I'm sorry."

"You're _sorry_?" Aang demanded, his eyes on Katara's face. "How long has this been going on?"

"Aang, don't," Katara said. "Please—I love you both."

"But you love her more," he snapped. "You're leaving me for _her_." Toph frowned, but kept her mouth closed and her hand wrapped around Katara's.

"Aang, I'm _sorry_," Katara said quietly. "I don't want to hurt you." Aang looked at her, his eyes wide despite his lowered brows. His mouth hung open slightly, head tilted in surprise. His teeth came together, his breath hissing as he sucked in shallow bursts. Katara bit the inside of her cheek, shifting to press back against Toph and tightening her grip on Toph's hand. Aang's glare moved to Toph, and she did not flinch.

"So this is why I'm not good enough?" he asked, his voice pitched low. "This is why I have to be more alert?" Toph remained silent, unable to see the scowl on the young man's face. Aang came close to snarling, gritting his teeth to hold back the sound as he closed his eyes tightly. He took a step forward, opening his eyes as he moved. The shock and fright on Katara's face made him pause, but it did not soften the scowl on his face. The way Toph had parted her feet, lowering halfway into a ready stance, only made his spine stiffen and his face grow darker. He said nothing, and turned on heel to stride swiftly away.

"Aang, wait!" His stride lengthened at Katara's shout, and she did not immediately follow. She looked to Toph, eyes wide and shining with tears. Toph lifted her free hand at the sound of Katara's hitched breath, brushing her fingers below Katara's eyes to catch the tears that fell.

"Toph, I have to go," Katara said, voice wavering only because of the tears.

"I know," Toph replied. Her head tilted forward, her toes pressing firm against the ground. "It looks like he's headed for the city."

"Then he's not going to Appa," Katara murmured. "He's not leaving." She rose up on her toes to kiss Toph's lips, wrapping her arms around Toph's neck for a tight hug when she pulled away.

"I'll be back," she said, whispering with her lips so close to Toph's ear. Toph put her hands on Katara's waist, balancing and holding the other woman close.

"I know," she said again. She nudged Katara's forehead with her own, tilting Katara's head back for another kiss. Katara caressed Toph's cheek when they parted, lingering only a moment more before she turned and hurried away. Toph stood, arms crossed over her chest, and felt as the echoes of Katara's near-running footfalls faded. She turned her head to one side, an ear aimed toward the hills behind her.

"You can come down now," she called loudly. Light footsteps, so light she heard rocks moving underfoot more than she felt reverberations in her soles, came down the hill. The steps brought the faint image of Aang with them.

"You're avoiding Katara." The beat of Aang's nod came to Toph although she had not asked a question. She knew a seeing hand would be slapped away or worse, and so she only vaguely imagined the scowls and frowns that may have been on his face.

"I'm good enough to fight for her," he said. Toph frowned, shifting one heel to see. Aang's hands were tightly bunched fists at his sides, his spine ramrod straight. His voice had not wavered when he spoke. It had been firm, and dark. Toph turned toward him, shoulders squared.

"We'll see, Aang," she replied. "When and where?"

"Now," he said. "We'll make a ring inside the mountain."

"Only earthbending?" Toph asked. His nod was hard enough that he did not need to speak. Toph blinked slowly, taking in a deep breath in the same manner. "Katara isn't going to like this."

"I know," Aang said, his voice softened for only a moment. "But I'm not going to give her up just like that. I don't want to."

"I wouldn't either," Toph said quietly. She stared past him, walking toward the hills. "Follow me." Aang jerked his head in another nod and followed her up the rocky slope. They walked, the earth shifting beneath their feet to give them level footing as they went. Toph did not let her focus fall behind her, more content in not knowing where Aang's gaze was directed.

----------

Hova never knew when Kailas would sleep, or where. She was no longer surprised to find Kailas slumped against a tree trunk, or curled on the floor of their small home with Fai flopped over her knees. It was, in fact, nothing short of a great pleasure, as she could always find a way to sit down near Kailas and coax the other woman's head into her lap. Kailas rarely woke, and would only smile vaguely before moving into a comfortable position and falling back to sleep.

That spring day, Hova had discovered Kailas flat on her back, shirt unfastened to let sunlight fall on her chest and stomach. She had smiled, watching Kailas breathe for mere moments before walking to where the other woman lay and sitting down with her legs crossed. As she had gently lifted Kailas's head, the other woman's breathing barely changed, the lashes of one eye twitching before settling once more. Hova unfolded her legs slightly, propping Kailas's shoulders on her ankles and resting Kailas's head in her lap.

For more than an hour, Hova sat with a smile on her face and her hands in Kailas's hair. Once or twice, she wondered where Fai could have wandered to, with his favored napping partner so readily available. She savored the sight of Kailas's completely closed eyes, and the small pulls of air that made Kailas's chest rise and fall. Curling one finger, she passed her knuckle over the tender purple skin circling beneath Kailas's eyes. One side of her finger brushed against Kailas's eyelashes, so slowly and gently that Kailas did not react. Hova smiled, tilting her head down to press a kiss to Kailas's forehead.

The ground shuddered and heaved beneath them both, nearly throwing Hova to one side. A thunderous crack of rock shattering and separating followed the earth's trembling almost immediately. Hova opened her eyes slowly, unsure of when she had closed them tightly out of fear. Kailas's eyes were already open, blinking rapidly as she sat up from Hova's lap.

"What just happened?" Kailas asked.

"I don't know," Hova replied, rubbing at one ringing ear. They both turned at the sound of familiar raccoon-dog barks and yaps, Fai scurrying down a nearby hillside. He dashed to where the two women sat, skidding and crashing into Kailas's side in a failed attempt to stop.

"What, Fai?" Hova asked. The raccoon-dog continued to bark until he closed his teeth around one side of Kailas's open shirt, tugging backward. He soon let go of the cloth with a whine, turning and looking toward the mountainside a small distance away. A cloud of gray-brown dust had risen in the sky, occasional plumes strengthening it as it tried to dissipate. Hova and Kailas stared at the dust, barely hearing Fai's whines as they slowly rose to their feet. Another wave of motion rumbled under them, dropping them back to their knees. Kailas and Hova scrambled to their feet once more and started to run, Kailas without bothering to redo the ties of her shirt.

They made their way to Katara's home, nearly crashing into Sokka and Suki as they skid to a halt in the courtyard. A fishing pole lay forgotten on the ground as the four talked over one another. No answers could be properly given, as no one knew why Toph or Aang would cause minor earthquakes, or why they would be inside of the mountain. As the rumbling underfoot continued, their confusion and voices escalated. Fai sat on the edge of the courtyard, whimpering at the shouting and noise. One question, however, made him look up.

"Where's Katara?" Sokka and Kailas demanded in unison. They stared at each other for a moment, Hova and Suki looking at each of them in turn as seconds passed. Sokka pushed hard at one temple with the heel of his hand, dropping his eyes to the ground.

"She ran by a minute ago," he said. "She—I think she was looking for Aang, but he only went north. He didn't come back this way."

"Was Toph with Katara before Aang went to find them?" Hova asked.

"Katara went to find Toph earlier," Suki replied, speaking slowly as she thought. "And Aang went to find Katara." They all turned to stare at the mountain when another ripple in the ground rattled the cobblestones of the courtyard. As soon as the ground stilled, and without another word, they dashed from the courtyard, shouts for Katara already on their tongues.

----------

Mountains were ideal for earthbending arenas. The most obvious reason for the ideality was the copious amount of rock that could be manipulated at the bender's command. A less known reason was the fact that the sheer amount of stone, rooted so firmly to the earth, also provided natural dampening to the shockwaves generated by the earthbending.

As there were no phosphorescent rocks in the mountain, Aang created plinths within the walls of the arena, firelight from the sticks he had gathered and placed in the plinths casting an orange glow through cavernous chamber. The flames shuddered and rocked, sticks falling against one another and trembling, with every boulder that was ripped out of the ground, walls, and ceiling. The only thing that did not shake the arena enough to move the sticks, or result in small earthquakes beyond the mountain, was when one of the two fighters was thrown to the ground.

Toph ducked, leaning to one side to dodge the boulder Aang had kicked toward her. It shot by her left shoulder, scraping small gouges in her skin as it passed. She kept her balance and continued to run, the dirt under her feet pushing her all the faster forward. A hard, stomping step summoned stone encasements around Aang's feet, trapping him where he stood. Toph pulled back her right arm, fist swinging low by her hip as she slid to a halt. With a shout, she brought her fist under and up, and the earth moved with her.

Her knuckles, the skin torn and bleeding, cracked against Aang's jaw, and a column of rock as wide as her fist slammed into his chest with equal force. She twisted her heel against the ground when she felt the pull of Aang's legs in their encasements. The rock shattered, and Aang was thrown through the air. He grit his teeth at the taste of blood in his mouth, opening his eyes despite the white flares of pain that had appeared behind his eyelids.

As the wall drew closer, Aang twisted with every muscle at his disposal and ignored the pain as many were wrenched too far. He rolled forward to bring his legs before him, spinning horizontally to look at the ground of the chamber just before his feet hit the wall. He blinked once to clear away the stinging liquid in his eyes. Sweat had mingled with blood from a cut on his forehead, slashed open by one of many rock shards that had come too close. Gravity began to claim him, and Aang leapt from the wall before he could fall. The rock swelled under his feet, throwing him farther than he could have leapt alone.

He landed in a crouch, his left arm and leg parallel and forward with his right arm and leg bent. A wave of stone rippled at the dig of his left heel into the ground, rising higher than Toph's head and twice as wide as her outstretched arms. She scowled at the vibrations that came to her, immediately raising her guard. Two slabs of stone came together in a point before her as the wave of earth drew close. The attack and defense met and held for only a moment before both shattered. Toph winced and grimaced at the rock shrapnel that scratched and stabbed at her arms and shoulders. Dust settled in her eyes and she blinked furiously to clear it away and stop the stinging that had begun.

Dirty tears pouring down her face, Toph heard Aang's bellow before she felt his running footsteps. Before she could react, his fist had landed in the center of her chest. No rocks or boulders accompanied the strike, and they were not needed. All the air in Toph's lungs was forced out in an enormous rush, and her eyes closed as she fell. She hit the ground, wheezing as she lay on her back. There was no time to fully regain her breath, or even to pause and feel if any bones had been broken. In the back of her head, Toph felt Aang's foot kick the ground.

She rolled to one side, turning her head away from the pillar of rock that jutted up from the ground. With a swipe of one hand, she broke the pillar and put her palms flat against the ground. She pushed with her feet, kicking up to flip backward. Twin columns of rock burst from the ground, striking Aang's chest with more force than his punch. He was knocked from his feet, becoming starkly aware of the two broken ribs when he landed on his back.

As the man lay dazed, Toph regained her footing. She lifted her arms high over her head, fingers spread wide from her taut hands. The burning sticks rattled in their plinths, pebbles beginning to fall from the ceiling. A massive boulder, too large to dodge, was twisted slightly when Toph jerked her hands down and closed. It broke free of the ceiling and plummeted, directly over where Aang lay on the ground. He stared for a moment, still unable to breathe, before lifting his arms over his face.

The boulder hit the ground, shaking the entire cavern. Toph stood, blinking more dust and sweat from her eyes and breathing slowly. She kept her focus on the stone before her, muscles in her feet and ankles twitching from overuse. She scowled as she relaxed her feet, flares of coolness and heat alternating up her legs. She tensed them once more to stop the pain, and spun about at the vibrations she felt behind her. The ground was ripped in two, and Aang burst from the fissure to tackle her.

He rose over her, one hand closed tight around the collar of her shirt. His other hand bunched into a fist as he pulled it behind his head, and Toph's eyes widened. As Aang's fist came down, Toph's hand dug into the dirt. The rocks she pulled up from the ground rolled up her arm and over her chest, coming to a halt on her jaw. Aang's fist cracked against the rocks, the skin of his knuckles breaking under the pressure. He gave a wordless shout, pulling back his hand. Were it not for the pain in her mouth, Toph would have grinned.

The rocks on her jaw slid up her face to bunch upon her forehead. She sat up quickly, jerking her head forward to slam against Aang's. The rocks broke through the skin of his forehead, and he yelled aloud once more as he tilted back from the pain. Toph lifted her arms from the ground and snapped her elbows back against it. Two boulders popped up and caught Aang just under his arms, lifting him clear off of Toph and throwing him back onto the ground. Both of them panting, bleeding, and aching, they rose to their feet.

Aang took a hard step forward. Toph lifted her arms in a guard, but turned her head at the sound of shattering stone. The boulder behind her had broken apart. Aang drew his arms in to his sides, elbows at his hips, and began to step in a swaying, side-to-side motion. Rocks flew from the pile behind Toph, and she spun about to face them. More stones flew up from the ground to coat her forearms and shins as she blocked each small boulder in turn. Aang continued to step, barely moving forward, until Toph's back was completely turned to him.

He stomped down his foot, another wave rising from the ground. It struck Toph squarely in the middle of the back, lifting her from her feet and throwing her toward a wall. She was flipped head over feet, her back slamming into the wall. Stunned, Toph fell headfirst to the ground and lay there, groaning quietly. Aang sucked in a breath, meaning to walk forward once more.

"Toph!" He froze at the terrified shout, turning to look at the entrance of the cavern. He could see Suki, Sokka, Hova, and Kailas standing there, but they were unimportant. Katara, wide-eyed with shock, was the person he stared at. He did not know what he saw in her eyes other than shock, unable to tell if it was worry for Toph or rage toward him. Aang only stood and stared, and did not notice as Toph shook the pebbles from her hair and white starbursts from her eyes.

Top regained her footing and drew in a deep breath. She dashed forward, opening both of her hands and sweeping her arms up from her sides. Near fluid waves of rock rose from the ground, swelling at a high point just overhead. She stopped quickly, thrusting her hands forward. The stone came together and rushed at Aang, who did not react quickly enough to dodge or block the attack. He was slammed against a far wall, buried in the dark stone.

He knew the attack. He had seen Katara perform the motions too many times to count. He had mimicked her only a year ago, in an impromptu training session in the sea near her home. She had laughed about something, though with his lungs unable to find air to breathe, he could not remember what. Aang knew they had not concentrated on training, and fell quickly to playing and splashing one another. He wished it was the clean scent of her hair in his nose, instead of the cloying aroma of dirt. His hands tightened in the dirt, his eyes closing tightly at the idea of Katara and his happiness.

The rock and dirt that had been piled atop of Aang was blasted apart by cyclonic wind. The burning sticks were extinguished by the same wind, but the cavern did not turn dark. The unfaltering, pure white light that shone from Aang's tattoos and eyes replaced the flickering, red and orange glow of the fire, and he strode silently forward with a frown on his face. Toph, scowling at the wind she had felt, ran at him with a fist raised.

"Toph, _don't_!" Katara shouted. Toph did not listen, aiming her punch at Aang's chin. He caught her fist in one hand, closing his fingers painfully tight. He jerked her arm backward, pulling her stomach into his knee. Toph gagged, coughing and stumbling back when Aang released her hand. Aang took a step back, lifting one hand.

"Stop it!" Katara hurried away from the entrance of the cavern, clambering over and around the rocks that blocked her way. Aang's arm swept over his shoulder, slashing down before and across his chest. A new column of stone shot down from the ceiling, striking Toph in the chest and pinning her to the ground. She held back a scream behind her teeth, three ribs snapping under the force of the stone.

"Aang, please! Stop!" Toph, teeth still clenched, punched the rock and shattered it. She panted for breath when the weight lessened, and pushed at the boulder that still sat atop her. She struggled to move, her pulse pounding too loudly in her ears to focus on anything more than the rock. With a final heave, Toph shoved the boulder away. Every move jostling her broken ribs, she began to crawl from the small crater her body had made.

"Stop! Stop hurting her! Please!" Aang stopped walking when Toph stood up. Blood trickled from the corners of her mouth and all the scrapes and cuts she had gained throughout the fight. One arm curved around her stomach, pressed gingerly over the broken bones. She began to take a step, and Aang moved. He pulled one hand in to his chest before thrusting it forward, palm up. Another boulder ripped free of the ground, striking her in the chest and lifting her into the air. He quickly brought his arm back, elbow to his hip, and yet another boulder tore away from a wall.

"Aang, don't!" The rock slammed into Toph's back, crushing her against the first boulder. She screamed aloud as another rib was broken, and all the others ground against one another. The rocks fell, and she fell with them to the ground. She did not rise, barely able to breathe for the pain in her body and the blood in her mouth. Aang strode toward her, lifting one hand.

Katara stopped running when she stood before Toph, and held her arms open wide. Aang stared at her, his hand still raised. She held his gaze, tears on her face and her breath coming in fast gasps. Behind Katara, Toph continued to wheeze and pant, groaning when there was enough air in her chest. Katara's eyes flicked downward, her shoulders twitching as if she would turn toward Toph. She continued to stare at Aang, her arms spread.

Aang's eyes closed, and the glow of his tattoos faded. The cavern went dark.

_—to be concluded—_


	10. Chapter 10

Ye Chang Meng Duo: Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Nickelodeon (and all others) own "Avatar: The Last Airbender." I own whatever I write/create. Don't steal and don't sue.

A/N: This is a collaborative work between myself, and the artist Mag (fortheloveofpizza. Please make sure to visit Mag's deviantArt page for artwork that is, not so much inspired by this story, as the story is inspired by Mag's exceptional imagination. The title is Chinese for, "The longer the night lasts, the more our dreams will be."

"You're never going to come back, are you?" Aang, hand still closed around Appa's horn, turned to look over his shoulder. Katara stood just away from man and bison with her hands at her sides, her eyes shining in the dim twilight.

"After all of this, I don't really want to," he replied. "But you're still my family. I'll visit. Sometime." Appa grunted and tilted his head further to one side. Aang lifted his leg slowly, turning away from Katara when the ache in his barely healed ribs made him wince. He put his foot in the curve of Appa's horn, stepping up as Appa turned his head. Aang settled back against the arch of Appa's back, taking the bison's reins in hand and letting his legs stretch over Appa's head. The pain dulled, but did not vanish.

"Saying sorry doesn't work for anyone, does it?" Katara asked. Aang turned his head, looking at Katara with neither a smile nor a frown on his face. His eyes lingered, roaming from her hair to her eyes to her lips. His gaze settled on her bare neck, and he thought, for a moment, on how easy it had been to shatter the pendant that had been returned to him. She noticed where his eyes had stopped, and looked at the ground.

"No," he said. "Not for anyone." He turned away from her, his sigh too quiet to hear.

"Can I still say that I'm sorry?" Katara asked. "I never meant to hurt you like this." Aang was silent for a moment, watching the sea wash up orange as the sun sank toward the horizon.

"Why did you agree to marry me if you loved Toph?" he asked in return.

"Because I care about you both," Katara said. "I really do."

"But you love her more." Katara bit the inside of her cheek, and her sigh was audible.

"It's not like that," she murmured. "It's—different. I never lied when I said I love you." She looked up, but his eyes remained on the sea.

"It was a lie," he said. "I thought it really meant something, and it didn't." Katara's throat tightened, and she dropped her eyes to the ground once more when they began to burn.

"So—you hate us both now?" she asked, her voice cracking. Aang blinked slowly, turning his head to look at the woman on the ground.

"No," he replied. "I just can't be around you without wanting to break Toph's ribs again." He paused, a vague smile coming to his face. "It's not like a monk to think about violence so much."

"Are you always going to want to do that to her?" Katara asked.

"I don't know," Aang said. He shifted his legs, sinking lower into the natural cradle Appa's head and neck created. "It's all I want to do right now, though, so I'm not going to stay." He rearranged the reins in his hands, and Katara looked up at the sound of leather against fur and horn. She took a step forward, and Aang paused.

"I'm sorry, Aang," Katara said once more. She held up a hand, reaching toward him. "Please—it's the truth." Aang stared at her hand for a full minute before patting Appa's head. The bison turned and tilted carefully, and Aang was able to take Katara's hand in his.

"I know," he murmured. He kissed her fingertips before letting go of her hand. He settled back to dull the pain in his torso, and smiled at Katara. She smiled as well, though he could see the shine of tears in her eyes. Aang took a slow breath and shifted his grip on the reins.

"Goodbye, Katara," he said. She stepped back, head tilting forward.

"Goodbye, Aang." The man looked away from her and snapped the reins. Appa rose to his feet, tail patting the ground.

"Yip yip." Appa crouched down and leapt into the air, Katara closing her eyes against the gust of wind the bison's tail beat against the cobblestones of the courtyard. When the wind abated, Katara opened her eyes to watch Appa fly into the east, the white of his fur bright against the black-blue sky. His course did not veer, and Aang did not look back. Katara closed her eyes and laid her hands over them, pressing gently. She waited for a long while before all the tears in her eyes had gone.

----------

The tension in the room was hardly overt, and limited only to rebukes that involved sticking out one's tongue. Sokka frowned across the table not at Hova, but at the raccoon-dog flopped over her lap.

"He's mocking me," the man grumbled. "Mocking me because he's got a bunch of people protecting him." Fai's tongue swiped across his muzzle before he tilted his head to one side. Sokka sat bolt upright, pointing at the raccoon-dog with a shout.

"See?" he said. "He's too smug for his own good!"

"You're not eating our pet," Kailas murmured.

"But he's so perfect for jerky!" Sokka insisted. "Look at him!"

"That's fur, not fat," Hova said. She scratched along Fai's back, fingertips vanishing in black and brown fluff. "You're not eating him." Sokka opened his mouth to speak, but only yelped when Suki slapped his shoulder. He turned to her, rubbing his shoulder, and jutted his lower lip out in a pout.

"This is why we don't have any children yet," Suki said to Hova and Kailas. "I'm scared he'll think they'll make good food." Hova and Kailas laughed aloud while Sokka sputtered, trying to protest. Suki smiled and kissed him, leaning against his shoulder after he quieted. As they continued to laugh and talk, Toph sat leaning against the nearest wall with a mug of tea in her hands.

She had not taken a sip of the liquid, now tepid and soon to grow cold. Instead, she had twisted and turned the mug, rolling it between her palms. She could not tap her toes against the floor, unwilling to bend her legs from where they lay straightened. She could not sigh as the minutes passed, unable to draw large enough breaths without her body's fierce protest. Toph simply sat and ignored her tea, all her focus aimed toward the doorway that Katara would return through.

Two days had passed since Katara's intervention and the end of the battle, and the hours immediately afterward Toph could only remember in a vague haze. She recalled being carried, gingerly, from the cave, and knew that she must have been brought to Katara's home. Beyond that, she had to be informed that Katara had healed her and Aang both. The pain that greeted her when she returned to full consciousness belied such facts.

It was Katara who had been beside her when she regained her senses half a day later, and although she did not ask after Aang, Katara had whispered that the man was leaving. The hitch in Katara's voice and the way she sat with her hands clenched tightly in her lap made Toph lift her arm despite the burn that blossomed in her muscles. She had reached for Katara's necklace, and still was unsure what she felt when her fingers came into contact with nothing more than Katara's bare skin.

Katara and Toph tried earnestly to talk to one another as the next day passed, but their efforts met with failure each time. The question of why was always what Katara put forward, and Toph was unable to produce a satisfactory answer. Even as she nursed Toph, amidst numerous protests, Katara continued to ask all the questions Toph did not want to answer.

"Why did you lie to me about Aang going toward the city?" she asked. Toph sighed, and reached to stop Katara from continuing on in needlessly tearing chunks out of a loaf of bread.

"I'm sorry," she said, giving her only reply to the question once more.

"Did you know he wanted to fight you?"

"I did." Katara sighed, letting go of the bread completely. Toph put it aside, leaning back upon the wall she had been propped against.

"Why did you agree?" she asked. "Did you think it was going to make me happy?"

"No," Toph said quietly. "I told him it wasn't going to."

"Then why did you fight him? You could have killed each other. _You_ almost _were_." Katara's hand closed around Toph's, squeezing the other woman's fingers tightly.

"I'm sorry," Toph repeated. With her free hand, she touched Katara's cheek, her caresses gentle to keep her calluses from scraping. She could never find a smile in all those minutes of questions that managed to drag into hours, more often finding the still damp trails of the tears she heard in Katara's voice. The weariness that could not be dispelled by healing drew her to sleep often, though the ache that lingered brought her back into the waking world just as frequently. She could barely think of moving when two days had passed, but still took to her feet when Katara asked her if she wanted to speak to Aang before he departed.

It was many long, silent minutes before either of them had spoken, and they traded simultaneous, simple, and quiet goodbyes before Katara led Toph back inside from the courtyard. Toph was settled in the largest room with Suki, Sokka, Hova, and Kailas while Katara returned outside once more. Catching mere snippets of conversation that would have made her chuckle on another day, Toph sat with her tea growing unpleasantly cool and waited.

For all her concentration, she did not know which came first: the silencing of the conversation, or the vibration of Katara's footsteps in the earth. Her head only turned toward Katara as the other woman strode through the doorway, and she assumed the others did the same. In the quiet, Katara walked on and sat down between Toph and the others, sighing softly as she did.

"How—was he?" Suki asked.

"Fine," Katara murmured. She lifted one hand and rubbed at where the necklace had lain around her neck. Toph's hands tightened around her mug, eyes narrowing at her inability to sit up and place a hand on Katara's face.

"What did you say?" Sokka asked. Suki frowned at him, but the shake of Katara's head was enough to stop any reprimands.

"We said goodbye," she replied. She took another breath, but let it out in another sigh, shrugging her shoulders and shaking her head. She returned her hand to her lap and lifted her head. "So—what did I walk in on? You were telling Kailas something, Sokka."

"Oh!" Sokka said. He turned to Kailas, grinning broadly as he reached for his belt. "I wanted to ask if you'd ever been as far into the Earth Kingdom as the Si Wong Desert."

"No," Kailas replied. "I like not dying of thirst."

"Well, you wouldn't have died of thirst if you found what _I_ did in the desert," Sokka said, lifting a small skin flask from his belt and holding it out. "Try this—it's great!" He yelped as Suki slapped his hand, dropping the flask to the floor.

"I told you to dump that cactus juice out before we left Kyoshi Island!" Suki said, ignoring Sokka's pout and tearful eyes. "Don't you dare try to give it to someone else!"

"You haven't given up cactus juice?" Katara asked.

"Hey, it's not like it's some weird addiction thing!" Sokka protested. "I just like it from time to time!" Katara giggled as he crossed his arms over his chest, shaking her head.

"Sokka, do you really want to give a firebender cactus juice?" Suki asked. Sokka paused, looking at Kailas as he thought. Despite the smile on her face, or because of it, he blanched and retied the flask to his belt.

"Yeah, you're probably good without it," he muttered.

"Do I want to know what would happen to Kailas if she drank that stuff?" Hova asked.

"You really don't," Katara and Suki replied in unison. Hova looked at Kailas, who continued to smile, before the two of them both began to laugh. Sokka's pout returned, arms crossing over his chest. Suki took pity on him and kissed it away, leaning against his shoulder when he smiled at her. Katara giggled, and Toph closed her mouth over the questions that had been building on her tongue at the sound.

She was unsure of how long it had been since she had last heard Katara's laugh, light and fluttering. It had been such a rare thing to hear that Toph listened as closely as she could. Seven years had stretched her memories thin with recall, and it made her chest tighten suddenly to think of another seven years without Katara. Toph bit her lip and put the mug aside, crossing her arms and resting them lightly on her stomach.

The thought of Aang left the bitter thoughts of pity and happiness she felt she did not deserve rolling in her mind. Without knowing entirely why, Toph wanted to know what more Katara and Aang had said to one another than mere farewells. She did not know what they had done, if anything, while they were outside, unable to focus on more than the doorway. In a small way, Toph was more than happy that she could not think of what might have occurred.

As more laughter swelled, slim fingertips closed around one of her hands. Toph blinked, thoughts forgotten, and Katara lifted the other woman's hand up. She drew it forward carefully, scooting closer to keep Toph from moving. Gently, she coaxed Toph to uncurl her fingers, and put Toph's hand on her face. Beneath her palm, Toph felt Katara's familiar smile. Her fingers found the smooth skin of Katara's cheek, without a trace of tears. Toph barely moved, breathed, or blinked, and Katara laughed quietly.

Just as carefully as before, Katara moved closer. She turned Toph's arm, laying it over her shoulders as she leaned gently against Toph's side. Toph blinked once more at the soft, content sigh Katara gave. The simple sound and the warmth nestled next to her made her eyes burn without warning even as a smile curled her lips. Toph tilted her head down, burying her face in Katara's hair. Tears came from her eyes and laughter from her throat, and she tightened her grip to still the sudden tremor in her hand.

"Toph?" Katara said quietly. Toph nodded slightly, humming her questioning reply in lieu of an unsteady voice. Katara's smile grew wider, and she squeezed Toph's hand. "If I give you my mother's necklace, will you wear it?"

"Will you wear a necklace that I make you?" Toph asked in return. Katara giggled, turning her head to press a kiss to Toph's cheek.

"Yes," she said.

"Then I will, too," Toph replied. She chuckled, tears still in her eyes, and Katara laughed as well. They sat together and laughed, even as tears began to well over in Katara's eyes. Toph held Katara close, and they let the tears run down their faces. What mattered to them at that moment was hearing the other's laughter, and holding one another close. Toph and Katara were happy, and that was all they cared to know.

_—end—_


End file.
